Howard celebrates critical funding for new highway patrol headquarters

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Judiciary chairman Brent Howard, R-Altus, said he is pleased the Legislature approved funding to build two new Oklahoma Highway Patrol headquarters in Clinton and Owasso during special session. The projects will be funded under the newly created Legacy Capital Financing Fund, which allows the state to self-fund major current and future capital needs of state agencies, departments, and subdivisions to avoid high bond interest rates. House Bill 1012X authorized the Oklahoma Capitol Improvement Authority to utilize $8 million from the fund for the new public safety buildings.

“These two new headquarters will ensure our Oklahoma Highway Patrol troops in western and northeast Oklahoma have modern facilities with the technology and space they need to conduct their business efficiently and safely,” Howard said. “The current headquarters are old, outdated, and unsafe for employees and renovations would have been too costly. I’m thrilled that the state had the available funds to make major investments in our public safety infrastructure this year, including building these two new headquarters.”

The western Oklahoma headquarters will be located in Clinton and serve Troops H and I, which cover Clinton and Guymon. The building will house a troop commander and field supervisors and will include a training room and covered parking. The land will be provided in partnership with the City of Clinton.

The northeastern Oklahoma headquarters will be located in Owasso near US-169 on property owned by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation that currently serves Troop B, which covers all of Tulsa.  This will also house a troop commander and supervisors as well as offices for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD) and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).

“Ensuring the safety and proper patrolling of our highways is critical as Oklahoma is a major hub for drug and sex trafficking. It’s also important to make sure all drivers are following the speed limit and other driving laws to protect everyone’s safety,” Howard said. “Our roadways are safer because of the highway patrol and their team of outstanding troopers, and we hope more Oklahomans will step up and join this great public safety agency.”

Currently, the OHP has 739 troopers with seven retiring this summer, and the agency would like to be closer to 1,000 officers to adequately provide essential law enforcement services statewide. There is an academy in progress with 20 cadets, and another academy will begin in July with an estimated 25 cadets.

To join the OHP, applicants must be U.S. citizens at least 21 years old but no older than 45 when the academy starts, meet certain education requirements, and pass a physical agility test. To learn more or apply, visit https://oklahoma.gov/ohp/join-the-ohp.html.

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For more information, contact:  Sen. Howard: (405) 521-5612 or Brent.Howard@oksenate.gov