Oklahoma Officers Serving In Ferguson, Mo.

As the eyes of the world stay on the events in Ferguson, Oklahomans continued to lend their support at ground zero.

Tuesday, November 25th 2014, 7:01 pm

By: News 9


As the eyes of the world stay on the events in Ferguson, Oklahomans continued to lend their support at ground zero.

Hours before the looting, the fires and the tear gas, former officers from Oklahoma were serving hot meals to nearly 700 officers in St. Louis.

"We saw them training, we knew they were ready," said Ron Bartmier with the Oklahoma State Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).

Just minutes before chaos erupted in Ferguson, Ron Bartmier and other former officers in the Oklahoma State Fraternal Order of Police served and sat with St. Louis officers as they watched the announcement that a grand jury will not indict Officer Darren Wilson.

"The mood with every officer, everyone was relieved," said Bartmier.

But then, reality set in.

"They knew were going to have a tough night ahead of them. You know when you get to know everyone up close and personal and know they're getting ready to go into battle it's a whole different situation then just knowing they were going out there," said Bartmier.

So, St. Louis officers put on riot gear and left for the front lines.

Throughout the night, Bartmier could only watch on TV as the men and women he just fed stood in the middle of the unrest.

The next day Bartmier woke at 5 a.m., ready to deliver meals to those same officers.

"The unfortunate part was we saw the same businesses a few minutes ago we had seen on Sunday night and now they're all burned down."

One Ferguson firefighter then showed his truck to Bartmier, pointing to the bullet hole now on its side, sustained while crews were battling blazes in the riots.

"It makes for a very disappointing time," said Bartmier about the bullet hole, which was why Bartmier was trying to cook-up some comfort.

"It's a tough situation, it's a situation for our families and it's a tough situation for every involved," Bartmier said.

The FOP will remain in Ferguson for as long as needed and at an undisclosed location due to safety concerns.

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