The plan for state troopers to abandon highways in Oklahoma's most populated areas is illegal, according to the state's top law enforcement officer.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued a legally binding opinion on Wednesday, Aug. 27, concluding that under state law, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol has "primary law enforcement authority" over traffic-related offenses on interstates, including those that run through metro areas.
“The Oklahoma Highway Patrol cannot make the arbitrary decision to foist its responsibility onto municipal and county law enforcement," Drummond said at a news conference where he was joined by Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, who has been critical of the proposal.
Drummond's opinion comes after Tim Tipton, the state public safety commissioner, said he would pull troopers from areas in July, saying they were more needed in rural areas. Since Tipton announced the plan, several city officials and police chiefs have come out against it.
Holt said he understood Tipton was trying to ensure public safety at a time when officers are few. He called for more resources for Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
“Total abandonment of two-thirds of the state’s population, especially on a service as vital as public safety, should never ever be on the table," Holt said.
Drummond called the move "unlawful and bewildering."
“I will not allow Governor Stitt or the highway patrol leadership to put citizens at risk by refusing to patrol our most densely populated areas," Drummond said.
Tipton answers to Stitt. The governor has often been at odds with Drummond, a fellow Republican who is running to succeed him in office in 2026.
Neither Tipton nor the governor have yet responded to a request for comment about Drummond's opinion.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma state troopers must continue to patrol metro areas, AG says
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