What is the Secure Oklahoma NOW Council? Breaking down Gov. Stitt's Executive Order

Gov. Kevin Stitt has issued an executive order to create state-wide standards and protocols for terrorism prevention at large events in the state. The order comes in response to the act of terrorism in New Orleans on New Year's Day, where family members of victims have criticized local leaders over a lack of proper safety measures and are suing the city.

The order creates a group called the Secure Oklahoma NOW council that would work with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety to establish those safety protocols in a written guide.

Q: Who will make up the secure Oklahoma Now council?

The council will be made up of 12 members from law enforcement, emergency management, federal partners, counterterrorism experts and first responders. The chair of the council will be Tim Tipton, Oklahoma Public Safety Commissioner.

"This committee has been designed to bring together not only the stakeholders, those communities that host those types of events, but subject matter experts that can say, what are current best practices to be able to keep those types of gatherings as safe as possible," said Tipton. 

Q: What will the council do?

The council will create a living document that will outline the best safety and security practices, protocols and standards for all large-scale events in the state. 

The council will continue to update the document as security needs evolve.

"If we all know the same game plan and all first responders and law enforcement have that language and that communication then that collaboration and coordinating happens in lightning speed," said Tricia Everest, OK Secretary of Public Safety.

Q: When will this guide be published?

The first edition of the guide will be published by May 30, 2025.

"[The guide will be] a place that city leaders, county officials, event coordinators will have a playbook to go by to say, ok now we know what the level of potential threat is for this event, and here's some guidelines that will help us best prepare to keep everybody who's going to attend safe," said Tipton.

Executive Order: 2135.pdf