TULSA, Okla. — Oklahoma Highway Patrol is looking to add 14 new port of entry officers.
A port of entry officer is stationed at one of the four state line entry points to intercept commercial vehicles. This is done at ports of entry in Love, Sequoyah, Beckam and Kay Counties. Soon, another will open in Bryan County.
A port of entry officer checks to make sure:
- commercial vehicles traveling into Oklahoma are safe
- the driver meets drivers license laws
- a driver is following weight restrictions
But as OHP Trooper Eric Foster explains that's not all they are on the lookout for.
“In the course of their investigation, they have full jurisdiction on criminal interdictions so to speak," says Foster. "So if they see anything else that may be flagged, like human trafficking, drug movement, any of those things they have jurisdiction to do that.”
To become a port of entry officer during this round of hiring, OHP is looking for people who are at least 21 years old, have a high school diploma, and are CLEET certified so OHP can put you right to work.
Foster says Oklahoma is known as a top 10 state for fatal crashes with commercial vehicles so by opening a new port of entry and adding more staff, OHP hopes to combat that statistic by working to make sure the Sooner State's roads are safe.
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