Service Spotlight: Police Chief Kevin Foster

Service Spotlight: Police Chief Kevin Foster

By: Bill Moakley

A 30-year veteran of the Norman Police Department is now Norman’s chief of police.

Kevin Foster was sworn in as Norman’s top officer on Nov. 1 after service as interim chief since March. He takes over for former chief, Keith Humphreys, who left Norman to take the top police position in Little Rock.

A graduate of Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Foster holds a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement and a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Central Oklahoma. A native of Fairview, Foster graduated from Norman’s 27th Police Academy in 1989.

Since joining NDP, Foster has served in numerous capacities, including patrol, criminal investigations, the Community Policing Office and professional standards. He has been in charge of every bureau: operations, service and support. That experience provides the new chief with a solid foundation as he leads a department of 180 commissioned officers and more than 60 civilian employees.

“I think it gives me insight into the entire department,” Foster said. “When you haven’t been in all of them, you can be unfamiliar with what they do, and it’s a little harder learning curve to understand how the whole department works and how the different bureaus work together.”

Foster says he has an appreciation for the department he now heads.

“The Norman Police Department has always been a great department,” he said. “I heard about it when I was going to school at Northwestern, and that’s why we moved down here. It was known as the best department in the state, and it’s continued that tradition. We’re more progressive than a lot of departments.”

Foster said the department is already established as a leader in community policing, and he plans to ensure the department remains community focused.

Police Chief Kevin Foster

“I want to make us more efficient, and I want the community to feel safe,” Foster said. “We’re not going to solve all the crime in Norman. That’s never going to happen. Hopefully, we can reduce crime and work with all aspects of the community to feel comfortable coming to us. We want all community members feeling comfortable coming to us when something doesn’t seem right.

“By working with the community, that’s how you become a great department. You can’t do it on your own. You can’t operate isolated from the community.”

In addition to an emphasis on community relations, Fosters points to Norman’s rigorous officer training initiatives and ongoing officer education as the foundation of the Norman department’s reputation as a national pacesetter.

“The biggest thing we’re known for in the region is the training our officers receive.”

Foster said the academy he participated in lasted only 17 weeks. Today, Norman’s young officers are in the academy for 27 weeks.– BSM