Culture & the Family

Tommie’s story: Training Oklahoma’s future leaders

December 14, 2020

Rick Farmer, Ph.D.

[As we approach the holiday season, OCPA is sharing stories of real people whose lives have been impacted by some of our work over the past year. Without supporters like you, this work would not have been possible.]

“What you see as a police officer on the street gives you a unique view of life. I soon saw that my ideology put me more in line with the conservative party,” said Tommie Johnson III, the newly elected sheriff of Oklahoma County.

A young father of two, Tommie has served as police officer for eight years, obtaining the rank of master officer and wearing a lifesaving award on his uniform. After his years of service, he experienced the revolutionary move of 2020—the city council cut funding to the police department. “What really hurts is not the money,” Tommie said, “but the fact that half of the community doesn’t trust us.”

He wanted to move into a leadership position, but thought he needed more training in conservative principles, so he joined the inaugural class of OCPA's Fears Fellowship program. “You need to understand the founding principles, and that is what the Fears Fellowship did,” he said. “We studied the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the Federalist Papers and I thought, how do I become like that? This program was the most amazing thing I’ve ever been a part of.”

And in January, Tommie will be sworn in as sheriff of the most populous county in Oklahoma. At a time when support for police officers is at an all-time low and city leaders around the country are complacent in the face of rioting and looting, Oklahoma City’s new sheriff is asking "How can I be like the Founding Fathers?"

The future leaders of Oklahoma, like Tommie, are already here. They’re being trained in conservative values and free-market principles thanks to OCPA’s Fears Fellowship. Will you join us with a year-end gift of $50, $100, $1,000 or whatever you can afford, so we can continue to educate the next generation in the values you hold dear? You can give to OCPA by clicking here.