Residents press Oklahoma City Council over police use of force; city outlines administrative review and defers settlement resolution

Dozens of residents told the Oklahoma City Council on New Year’s Eve that the city must hold officers accountable after video circulated showing a city police officer using force on a 70‑year‑old man with limited English proficiency. Speakers repeatedly urged the council and city manager to remove the officer from street duty and to change training and reporting practices.

The comments came during the citizens-to-be-heard portion of the meeting. John Kaufman, who identified his address as 2301 Northwest 156, appealed to council members to “do what’s right” and suggested the family of the injured man be paid an amount equal to officers who were on administrative leave. Cindy Winn, a co‑founder of the Asian Task Force of Oklahoma, described being personally affected by language barriers in police interactions and called the officer’s use of force “not only dangerous”…