VIDEO: Oklahoma Highway Patrol shares plan to reallocate resources away from the Tulsa area

OHP Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton detailed the agency's plan to reallocate resources away from the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metro areas during a press conference on Thursday.

Full press conference can be watched in video player below:

OHP says, starting Nov. 1, it will reassign its resources to areas of the state with less law enforcement presence.

RELATED: OHP plans to pull troopers from two major counties, metro police departments respond

The decision would mean the Oklahoma City Police Department and Tulsa Police Department would cover metro highways and interstates in their respective areas.

YOUTUBE STREAM

Response from Tulsa Police

Key Impacts:

1. Current Staffing Shortage: Tulsa Police is currently understaffed by 137 officers, leaving no capacity to divert resources to highway safety without compromising regular calls for service.
2. Specialized Training: Tulsa Police Officers lack the training required to investigate complex collisions involving large-scale vehicles and heavy-duty trucks (over 26,000 lbs.), such as semis and dump trucks. Currently, State Troopers receive specialized training to handle these situations.
3. Partnership Requirements: This change would require a partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) to manage emergency situations on the interstate system, including closures and diversions. This would require more Officers to handle closures, further straining our already limited resources.
4. Speed Enforcement: Beyond collision response, this change would call for a significant increase in Officer presence on interstates to patrol and monitor speeds, ensuring motorist safety.

Next Steps:

"This reallocation of resources is an unfunded mandate. Moving forward, the Tulsa Police Department is working closely with our partner agencies within the state to explore options for additional funding that would enable us to provide Officers with the necessary training to handle these anticipated changes. We will provide updates as more information becomes available."

What is the reason for the change?

OHP said the move will allow the agency to better adapt to Oklahoma’s evolving public safety needs.

SEE ALSO: Why the Oklahoma Highway Patrol is shifting resources from OKC metro

In a statement, OHP said it is confident that law enforcement departments in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas are equipped to provide public safety on the portions of interstates running through those cities.

OHP said it will shift its resources out of OKC and Tulsa to focus on interstates and highways with high traffic volumes but fewer local law enforcement officers.

However, chiefs of police from smaller communities say they do not have the resources to take on the workload.

"We will suffer for it, we will get out there and do our best, but it's the citizens of Del City that will suffer too," Del City Police Chief Loyd Berger said. "They may be delayed in getting an officer to them because they are up on the interstate for a couple of hours at a time."

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Additional Coverage:

Oklahoma Highway Patrol is shifting resources away from the Tulsa metro, here's why

OHP reassigning troopers, forcing local police to patrol metro highways