New Oklahoma City Police Chief is metro native Ron Bacy

-- City of OKC continues trend of promoting from within the department

OKLAHOMA CITY — A 32-year veteran of the Oklahoma City Police Department, Ron Bacy, was chosen to be the next Chief.

The announcement was made on Friday by City of Oklahoma City Manager Craig Freeman who has that task in Oklahoma City’s council-manager form of government.

“I am beyond humbled and yet very proud to be given this honor to lead such an amazing group of men and women we have in what I believe to be the finest police department in the country,” said Bacy at the news conference Friday. “It is made up of wonderful individuals, both professional staff and sworn personnel, dedicated to helping us grow this city and keep it safe, and provide the best environment for the residents of Oklahoma City.”

Already familiar with the inner workings of the department as one of the assistant chiefs, Bacy takes over leadership of the 1,235 uniformed officer positions plus 558 other professional staff members. He will administrate the department’s $286 million budget.

Bacy follows retiring Chief Wade Gourley who took the reigns of the department during a tumultuous time in the City’s history, organizing a response to demands for more community input on policing after the George Floyd protests of 2020.

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Retiring Chief Wade Gourley listens to Bacy’s first speech as the new Chief August 16, 2024. (B.DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

Gourley also rose through the department ranks to become Chief as did his predecessor, Bill Citty.

Friday, Bacy praised Gourley for his leadership.

“We are light years ahead of where we were prior to your leadership,” said Bacy. “You’ve been innovative in your thinking, and most importantly, you displayed a great amount of passion and care towards all the employees and their wellness. And that will never be forgotten. And, I hope that I can continue that.”

City Manager Freeman was understandably buoyant at the news conference after leading a nationwide search involving the efforts of a search firm and listening to over 50 community leaders in the two-month process.

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City Manager Craig Freeman praised newly installed Chief Ron Bacy at a news conference August 16, 2024. Bacy will report to Assistant City Manager Jason Ferbrache (far right) who oversees public safety for the city. (B.DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

“Chief Bacy is a strategic planner, collaborative problem solver and proven leader,” Freeman said in a press release. “He cares deeply about our community and is committed to implementing the recommendations of the Public Safety Partnership by continuing to modernize the Police Department in areas like de-escalation, use of force and crisis intervention. He is passionate about serving all residents.”

Background

Bacy, who is 54, completed his secondary education at Del City High School. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement management and administration from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree in criminal justice administration from the University of Central Oklahoma.

Bacy started his career in 1992 as a patrol officer in the Springlake Division. In 2002, he was promoted to lieutenant and served in the Santa Fe and Springlake patrol divisions. During his tenure, he served as a field training officer supervisor, Emergency Response Team supervisor, and on-call public information officer.

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Chief Ron Bacy delivers his first public address as Oklahoma City’s current chief on August 16, 2024. (B.DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

Subsequently, he served in the Special Investigations and Training Divisions. In 2010, he was promoted to the rank of captain and served in the Operations Bureau, the Investigations Bureau, and the Office of Professional Standards.

Bacy was promoted to the rank of major in 2019 and assigned to the Southwest Division. He was promoted to deputy chief in 2021 and assigned to the Operations Bureau. He now oversees Investigations. Bacy was also a member of the Oklahoma City Community Policing Working Group and the Oklahoma City Law Enforcement Policy Task Force.

Bacy has been a volunteer or board member for numerous organizations, such as the Academy of Law & Public Safety at Douglass High School, the OSU-OKC Police Science Advisory Board, Oklahoma CASA, and Stop the Violence OKC, over the years.

He graduated from the FBI National Academy Session 265, the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Policing, and the Major City Chiefs Association’s Police Executive Leadership Institute.


In the original version of this report, we misspelled Chief Ron Bacy’s name. We apologize to the Chief and readers for the error.


Author Profile

Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.