State public safety officials are saying a proposal to reallocate highway patrol troopers away from urban metropolitan areas has not been undermined ― even after the top Oklahoma law enforcement officer called it “unlawful.”
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a legally binding opinion Wednesday, Aug. 27, that under state law, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol has “primary law enforcement authority” over traffic-related offenses on interstates. He further stated Oklahoma Highway Patrol did not have the authority to enact its plan to “abandon” interstates in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas.
But in a statement late Wednesday, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said it “has not and never will abandon or abdicate” its duties as the state’s primary law enforcement agency. While saying it will move forward with troop realignment, the agency also said it would need to make some changes to its plan…