Published: April 07, 2008 05:09 pm            

Police chief happy to walk North Enid beat

Chief Schubert joined the NEPD over 12 yeas ago

NORTH ENID — It took one bust for Martin Schubert to know he wanted to be a police officer.

One night in the summer of 1995, he and now retired Enid Police Department Officer Mike Jackson witnessed a crime as they were riding bicycles for exercise.

“We used to ride bikes to stay in shape,” Schubert, now North Enid Police Department chief, explained. “One night, we came across a burglary in progress, and since then I was ready to go into law enforcement.”

Schubert has seen a lot of action in his more than 12 years with the North Enid Police Department.

His department covers the town of North Enid, which is approximately 2 1/2 square miles, covering the area between 4th to 16th Streets, and between just north of Cambridge Avenue and Carrier Road. He has been with the department since October of 1995.

Last year, the NEPD, which includes Officer Richard Dominic and Reserve Officer William Younger, responded to seven car burglaries, was called out on a shooting and also on a suicide.

“That’s probably the our worst call we had last year,” Schubert said.

Schubert said he’s seen the department “modernize” during his time with the force.

“I’ve seen the department receive newer equipment in the last 10 years,” he said.

In addition to a Dodge Charger for a patrol unit, Schubert said the department also uses tasers with video and sound recording capabilities, and all patrol cars have cameras.

“Since about late ‘97, all police cars have been equipped with video cameras,” Schubert said. “I can recall cases I’ve won simply because we have video cameras in the car.”

He said the department has also acquired Internet and computer technology.

Not all of his years as chief have been quiet for Schubert in this town of about 800 people.

“We’ve had officers shot at, I’ve been stuck with a hypodermic needle,” Schubert said. “There’s been things you’d like to forget.”

He said the night officers were shot at was during a “meth-related” traffic stop of two vehicles with the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office.

“That was quite a night,” Schubert recalls. “We took two into custody. The other vehicle took off and the deputy and another Enid officer were shot at during the pursuit.”

Such wild nights are not as commonplace as they once were, Schubert said.

“Those days have kind of slowed,” he said. “I attribute that to the tighter laws on buying over the counter medicines.”

Before the passage of The Trooper Nik Green, Rocky Eales and Matthew Evans Act, passed in April 2004, which limits the amount of pseudoephedrine that can be purchased and the frequency in which Oklahomans can purchase products containing pseudoephedrine, meth labs were rampant across Midwestern states.

“I can remember when it was once a week,” Schubert said of making a meth-related arrest. “I remember my first drug-related arrest was a woman manufacturing red phosphorous.”

Schubert said he’s also made at least two arrests of people transporting illegal aliens.

“Last year, I had a jury trial in Federal Court for a person tried for transporting illegals,” Schubert said.

He made a traffic of a regular cab pickup with a camper shell. Schubert said inside the pickup’s camper, he found 11 people.

Schubert said both stops were for simple traffic violations.

“Both of them were stopped for violation of a school zone,” he said.