Is the highway patrol really needed?

[Garin]

Since OCPD and the various sherriff depts are patrolling the highways is the Highway Patrol Dep. Needed seems like a huge waste of money and resources.

[Zuplar]

My father-in-law is a Sheriff of a county not too far from the metro and he said it is not his deputies job to pull people over for speeding. That is for local law enforcement and Troopers. He focuses all his time on drugs and fugitives. From my understanding this is what a lot of Sheriffs departments do. So yes I'd say the Troopers are needed.

[bluedogok]

The Oklahoma County Sheriff did very little traffic enforcement until Whetsel (former Choctaw Police Chief) became the sheriff. He decided they needed to duplicate the police department duties in incorporated areas.

In Texas there is another layer with the Constables which I saw no need in because they acted the same way as Austin PD, TCSO and DPS in their jurisdictions.

[Jim Kyle]

We used to have constables in Oklahoma, too. They operated out of Justice of the Peace courts, and traffic stops were their bread and butter. Speed-trap operations, such as posting a 5-MPH limit for a couple of hundred feet on a main highway, then nabbing everyone for a $200-$500 fine+costs ticket, got so bad that the public amended the constitution back in the mid to late 50s to do away with both the courts and their constables...

Most counties don't have enough deputies to patrol all their highways looking for speeders and reckless drivers, and don't have adequate resources to be able to hire more...

[RadicalModerate]

'nuff sed:



On the other hand . . . had The Colorado State Highway Patrol been doing their job, Dusty Drapes and the Dusters never would have had the opportunity to pick up Junior Brown while hitchhiking because they would already have picked him up for the same crime.

And where would Tim McVey be today if weren't for The OKHP?

[bchris02]

They are needed. They Highway Patrol has different jurisdictions than OKCPD.

[RadicalModerate]

They are needed. They Highway Patrol has different jurisdictions than OKCPD.

Yup. The last traffic ticket I got was for failure to wear a seatbelt. At the intersection of Penn and 122nd.
You never expect The Spanish Inquisition . . . oops: The Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Well done, Trooper: The $25 fine for endangering myself taught me a lesson that I will never forget.

When I was driving "a big rig" I used to get pulled over about once a month by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol for weight violations.
The company paid the tickets. Ironically the company was a paving company.
Looks like a synergistic relationship to me . . .
(all snarking aside, The OHP has always been a law enforcement entity that I completely admire and respect.)

[rezman]

They are needed. They Highway Patrol has different jurisdictions than OKCPD.

OHP = All roads, All codes.

[RadicalModerate]

OHP = All roads, All codes.

10-4 gud buddy . . . read you 5 by 5 . . .

My favorite encounter with a "Smokey" was crossin' the southern tip of Illinois, helpin' haul some produce back East--to Kentucky or wherever--so's we could pick up some chemicals at a legal chemical factory and make the flip trip back to the West Coast when the speed limit was 55.

I failed to pay quick enough attention to The Best FuzzBuster in the Universe (at the time) mounted on the dash of the KW I was driving--plus the laws requiring authentic log books or other legit credentials. All I had was driving ability and an Oklahoma Commercial Chauffers License.

I pulled the rig over behind the Trooper's car that had lit up its lights half a mile ahead of me on one of the rolling hills of southern Illinois about the time the Fuzz Buster went off. I climbed out of the cab, walked up to the passenger door of the Trooper's car (that he had opened for me), sat down and handed him my Oklahoma License. He looked at it, reached over into the glove box, pulled out his pipe and some tobacco, lit it up and started rhapsodizing about a trip he once made to the area up around Grand Lake. I listened and contributed the occasional, "yeah. sounds nice. haven't been up there yet, but . . ."

After about 20 minutes of "Oklahoma Memories" he wrote me a warning for speeding and suggested that I slow it down.
Since I was only about 25 at the time--instead of 61--I said, "Yes, sir" rather than "Yes, officer."

Sorry. I just realized that none of that has anything whatsoever to do with the OP's question.

[kevinpate]

With the exception of one trooper, every encounter I have ever had with a trooper has been cordial and professional, and rarely ever ended with a citation. And never a citation from the one less than cordial chap. I suppose taking a figurative bite of my arse for his beef jerky was good enough for him. I presume he enjoyed the flavor, as we had several run ins in my younger days.

I've also had encounters with local leos and deputies across the state and spanning several decades of driving, mostly cordial and professional as well, though not all by any means. Some I've wondered both why and who thought it was a right fair idea to slap a badge and a firearm on the individual. And not all were in tiny hamlets where the pickin's were slim.

All in all though, if my lovely or one of my children were to have their vehicle approached, day or night, I'd prefer it to be by a trooper over any other leo.

[BBatesokc]

The OHP officer's I've met make it a point to boast they can operate anywhere in Oklahoma.

There is one OHP officer (tats up and down one arm) that is regularly seen on S. Robinson Ave. pulling people over and is pretty much an 'ass' to the public in general.

Not sure why he's on Robinson and not in the 'usual areas.'

That said, I've only had two other experiences with OHP officer's and despite the puffed up chest attitude, they were pretty professional, cordial and didn't issue me a ticket.

[rezman]

Over the years, I've had numerous traffic encounters with State Trooper, and area police officers. .. I like to get on down the road,.. What can I say.

All of the citations I ever recieved I deserved and only one of the State Troopers I've encountered was a real d***head.
I have to say all of my OKCPD officer encounters were cool. Got a lot of breaks by some, and got what I had coming from the others. I got two HUGE breaks back in the early 80's. One by Okc and one by Bethany ... Let's just say those were offences of the herbal kind.

Also had a traffic stop by an El Reno cop who was an absolute jerk.

[Garin]

My point is if the sheriffs and OCPD are going to sit on the highways and write tickets instead of let's say patrolling neighborhoods and business parks and schools then why don't we just get rid on OHP and let these guys do it.

[rezman]

My point is if the sheriffs and OCPD are going to sit on the highways and write tickets instead of let's say patrolling neighborhoods and business parks and schools then why don't we just get rid on OHP and let these guys do it.

All of the municipalities that have highways and interstates running thorough them do it. It's called revenue enhancement.

[MadMonk]

Over the years, I've had numerous traffic encounters with State Trooper, and area police officers. .. I like to get on down the road,.. What can I say.

All of the citations I ever recieved I deserved and only one of the State Troopers I've encountered was a real d***head.
I have to say all of my OKCPD officer encounters were cool. Got a lot of breaks by some, and got what I had coming from the others. I got two HUGE breaks back in the early 80's. One by Okc and one by Bethany ... Let's just say those were offences of the herbal kind.

Also had a traffic stop by an El Reno cop who was an absolute jerk.

I've got a good trooper story. Sorry in advance for the wall of text. TLDR below if you want to save time.

Back in my younger adult years, I had a nice early '70s GM rocket of a car that I was a little lead-footed with. One night, me and the boys were out eating and drinking at Two Pesos (remember them?). As we left to go home, a couple guys walked out with mugs of "margaritas" and we went on our merry way. As I was trying to get on I-44, an 18-wheeler and I disagreed on whether he should allow me to merge. So, I forced the issue and showed him what early '70s horsepower was all about (such as it was) and proceeded up to about 98 or so before I let off the gas, feeling pretty smug about it. Shortly afterward I look in my rear view mirror and notice two headlights very rapidly approaching my rear (no red/blue lights). Being familiar with the model of vehicle that law enforcement was using at the time, I recognized the headlights that were following me and I highly suspected it was a police car, so I informed my passengers and asked them to quickly finish their mugs of pseudo-margaritas. Unfortunately, one them chooses this unfortunate time to flick his cigarette out his rear window and another proceeded to hand his mug of margarita to the rear passengers. It was at this precise moment that my pursuer decided to light up my car with all manor of colors and spotlights, nicely creating a prism effect on the mug my passenger was holding up. I immediately exited on 39th (having slowed down considerably by then), and pulled into a parking lot. It was of course an OHP trooper that pulled me over. He was on the other side of that 18-wheeler. I'm sure that trucker got a kick out of that!

After the usual pleasantries I gave him my license and the trooper had me get of of my car. He asked if I had been drinking and I admitted I had one margarita with dinner and I explained why I was speeding. He was pretty professional, wasn't a jerk and I was being cooperative. He had me try a few sobriety tests - walking the line, watching the pen without moving my head, etc. I wasn't drunk and had no problems with it. However, with my idiotic passenger tossing out his cigarette, the officer explained that he suspected us of possessing marijuana (in addition to our half-empty mugs of margaritas) and asked me for permission to search my car. I denied we had anything and since I had nothing to hide, I agreed, hoping my cooperation would be taken into consideration when he decided whether this was going to be a ticket or an arrest (for open container). So we all got out, stood around my car with hands on the hood and went through pat-down searches. He then started to search my car. I was just waiting on him to finish, answering questions about the folding knife I had in the center console, etc. when from across the parking lot comes a rather scruffy-looking man jogging directly toward us. He got about 20 feet away when that OHP trooper spots him, jumps out of my car, with one hand held out signaling to stop, and the other hand on his holstered gun, ready to draw, and yelled at him to "STOP RIGHT THE **** THERE! I'm sure my eyes were as big as silver dollars and I was thinking were going to get in the middle of a gun fight or something. The guy was jogging with one hand in the air and the other was holding on to something around his neck. When he saw what the trooper was doing, he tried to stop quickly, but it was a cool, damp night and the blacktop parking lot was a little slick. He was wearing cowboy boots, so as he was stopping he lost his footing and fell on his rear, yelling OKC PD! OKC PD! It would have been pretty comical if it wasn't so unnerving. It was a very tense few moments.

Apparently he was either an off-duty or undercover narcotics officer who saw this one OHP trooper surrounded by our group of four decent-sized guys and he thought he might need some assistance. The trooper proceeded to dress down the narc, I mean he really ripped into him. I couldn't hear everything, but they were both dropping plenty of f-bombs, and I got the gist of the argument that if the trooper needed help, he would call for it and it wouldn't be the dumb asses in OKC PD he would be calling. Meanwhile we are all just standing around looking at each other wondering what the heck is going to happen.

The narc finally leaves and the trooper tells my buddies to get back in my car and puts me in the back of his car. He's in the front seat, still mumbling about the other guy's stupidity and I can tell he's still really pissed off and probably a little shaken. He looks at me in his mirror and says, "Okay, I'm in no mood for bull****. How fast were you going?" I said "I think I got up to about 95 or so." He said "That sounds about right. You know, I could take you to jail and your friend could get a hefty fine for littering, but I'm feeling generous so I'm going to give you a ticket for 75 in a 60. But, you need to slow it down and before you leave, I'm going to have you guys pour out those mugs. How does that sound?" I said something like "Sounds good, thank you." I couldn't believe it. I don't know if he was just being especially nice, or if the the incident with the narc had any effect on him wanting to deal with us any more, especially since we didn't have the marijuana he was looking for. That is one of the few times in my life that I feel like I "dodged a bullet" and if things went just a little differently I would be in an entirely different situation than I am today, and probably not in a good way. Thank you, Trooper WhateverYourNameWas.

TLDR - Gunned it in front of a trooper while carrying mugs of margaritas in the car and as I was getting pulled over, passenger throws out cigarette. Trooper thinks its pot and searches us and the car. OKC PD narc runs up on the situation and freaks out the trooper, who bitches out the OKC PD officer. Trooper lets us go with an expensive ticket and no jail time.

[Plutonic Panda]

I don't think we need the OHP, but that's me. Every experience(except one) I've ever had with a trooper has been good and they are great guys. Do I think they are needed, nope.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

If all police were as professional as my experiences with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol have shown me their troopers are, the police wouldn't be in the headlines hardly at all for being raging idiots.

[Midtowner]

Is Trooper Martin still with OHP?

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Martin reinstated after investigation of excessive force complaint. Martin previously scuffled with paramedic. Video released of most recent incident. | STATter911.com

[tomokc]

How many states DO NOT have a highway patrol or something similar? I suspect they ALL do, which should answer the OP's question.

Incidentally, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority uses OHP for their patrols, but the OTA pays all of their costs, everything from gasoline to patrol vehicles to salaries.

[MsProudSooner]

If we didn't have the OHP, the counties would have to hire lots more County Sheriffs.

[Hollywood]

We need more of them so I can stop having to take calls on the interstate because their Trooper is "too far away."

[Garin]

OCPD needs to start patrolling neighborhoods preventing crime instead of hiding behind bushes and interstate overpasses to enforce speeding..... Leave that to the OHP

[MustangGT]

OCPD needs to start patrolling neighborhoods preventing crime instead of hiding behind bushes and interstate overpasses to enforce speeding..... Leave that to the OHP

The truth of the matter is the overwhelming majority of officers are running call to call to call and have very little time to issue tickets. The units you see writing tickets are officers on overtime being paid by the government for a particular type of enforcement seatbelts, speeding etc. Ticket numbers are way down from previous years and decades. Most officers intentionally do not write tickets because the idiots on the city council have jacked the prices up to the level of highway robbery.

W/O OHP the cities and counties tax burdens will skyrocket to fill in the gaps left by the OHP's departure.

[Plutonic Panda]

The truth of the matter is the overwhelming majority of officers are running call to call to call and have very little time to issue tickets. The units you see writing tickets are officers on overtime being paid by the government for a particular type of enforcement seatbelts, speeding etc. Ticket numbers are way down from previous years and decades. Most officers intentionally do not write tickets because the idiots on the city council have jacked the prices up to the level of highway robbery.

W/O OHP the cities and counties tax burdens will skyrocket to fill in the gaps left by the OHP's departure.

Yeeeeaaaaah, I highly doubt that. From everything I've read about this issue, more and more tickets are being issued more so than ever before. The only reason a police officer would be working overtime to issue tickets would be working overtime to issue tickets and that is even worse than doing it on the clock.

[MustangGT]

Yeeeeaaaaah, I highly doubt that. From everything I've read about this issue, more and more tickets are being issued more so than ever before. The only reason a police officer would be working overtime to issue tickets would be working overtime to issue tickets and that is even worse than doing it on the clock.

You can believe whatever you want. To educate your ignorance of the reality of the matter ask an OKC officer the next time you have contact with one about how many tickets they and their partners write. If all you know is what you read you know very little truth.