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WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Details on Oklahoma Highway Patrol resource reallocation

Full Oklahoma Highway Patrol press conference on reallocating resources away from Tulsa, OKC

By: Jennifer Maupin , TJ Eckert

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OKLAHOMA CITY — Department of Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton announced OHP would stop covering Tulsa and Oklahoma counties on July 3.

2 News Oklahoma started asking questions to determine what led to this change and how it could impact people.

WATCH: DPS Commissioner briefly talks to 2 News:

2 News briefly speaks with DPS head, Tipton

Lawmakers also talked to 2 News and expressed concern about the change and wanted more understanding about the reasons why Tipton is changing resource allocation.

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Now, two weeks after the initial reallocation announcement, the commissioner held a news conference in Oklahoma City to discuss the changes and the reasons behind them.

WATCH the full press conference here:

Full Oklahoma Highway Patrol press conference on reallocating resources away from Tulsa, OKC

Tipton said he's confident the professional law enforcement agencies within Tulsa and Oklahoma City's metro areas are equipped to provide public safety services on the portions of the interstates within their cities.

Tipton answered questions for nearly an hour. Here's what he said:

OHP will continue to work on post-collision reports involving commercial vehicles like semi trucks in Tulsa
Turnpikes will stay under OHP
Tulsa has 24 miles of I-44, 15 miles of I-244 and 3 miles on IDL
There are currently 51 troopers in Tulsa and surrounding counties
No troopers will be forced to move from their homes

Tipton said the decision wasn't made lightly. Top officials with OHP made the decision. "It's not an easy decision," he said. "No doubt it's a burden on these other agencies to be able to take those calls for service."

Local law enforcement in the impacted areas reacted to the upcoming changes.

The Tulsa Police Department posted on social media about how this change is going to impact them and, by extension, Tulsans:

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
Specialized Training: Tulsa police officers lack required training to investigate collisions involving large-scale vehicles and heavy-duty trucks (over 26,000 lbs.)
Partnership Requirements: This change requires a partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to manage emergency situations on the interstate system, including closures and diversions.
Speed Enforcement: This change requires a significant increase in officer presence on interstates to patrol and monitor speeds

2 News talked to TPD about these changes after the initial announcement: