Oklahoma Department of Public Safety


The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety is a department of the government of Oklahoma. Under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Public Safety, DPS provides for the safety of Oklahomans and the administration of justice in the state. DPS is responsible for statewide law enforcement, vehicle regulation, homeland security and such other duties as the Governor of Oklahoma may proscribe.
The Department is led by the Commissioner of Public Safety. The Commissioner is appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma, with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve at his pleasure. The current Commissioner is John Scully, who was appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt on September 3, 2019.
The Department of Public Safety was created during the term of Governor E. W. Marland.

History

The Department of Public Safety traces its history almost as far back as statehood.
In 1912, there were only sixty-five hundred automobiles in the entire state. But by 1929, over 600,000 vehicles were being driven up and down state roads. Oklahoma had become a state on wheels, although the roads those wheels were rolling over were designed for horse and buggy travel. One clear indication of the arrival of the automobile age in Oklahoma was the shocking number of people killed in vehicular accidents - about five hundred a year by the mid-1920s.
The automobile also brought many of the nation's most infamous criminals into Oklahoma's borders. By the 1930s, Oklahoma became a criminal haven in much the same fashion as it was in its days as Indian Territory. The odds were stacked in the favor of the criminals as once across the county line, they were beyond the reach of local authorities. Criminals soon discovered that the same system of law enforcement that was powerless to halt the rising tide of traffic fatalities was equally inept at stopping them.
Governor E.W. Marland, the 10th Governor of Oklahoma, made a bid for a state police to the legislation and called it the Department of Public Safety. Marland prevailed over the hesitant legislation on April 20, 1937. In early May 1937 he had the basic framework on paper and issued a statewide call for recruits to become Oklahoma's first highway patrolmen. About five hundred men answered the call. In the hard times of the Depression, the one hundred and fifty dollars a month salary was very attractive. By July 15, 1937 the Department of Public Safety was a functioning agency.

Leadership

The Department is overseen by the Oklahoma Secretary of Public Safety and is administered by the Commissioner of Public Safety. Under Governor Kevin Stitt, Chip Keating is serving as Secretary of Safety and Security and John Scully is serving as Commissioner.
OfficeIncumbentSince
Cabinet SecretaryChip Keating2019
CommissionerJohn Scully2019
Assistant CommissionerPat Mayes2019
Chief of the Highway PatrolBrent Sugg2019
Director of Highway SafetyPaul Harris2017

Organization

The Commissioner of Public Safety is appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Oklahoma Senate to serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
The Commissioner must be a professional law enforcement officer with at least 10 years experience in the field of law enforcement or with five years experience in the field of law enforcement and be a graduate of a four-year college with a degree in law enforcement administration, law, criminology or a related science.
The Commissioner appoints two principal deputies: an Assistant Commissioner of the Department and a Chief of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The Assistant Commissioner is the second in succession of the Department and is responsible for overseeing the civilian management staff of the Department. The Assistant Commissioner is also responsible for operations of Driver License Administration.
The Highway Patrol Chief serves as the professional head of the Patrol and is responsible for the capabilities, plans and operations of the Patrol.
Operationally, the Assistant Commissioner and Chief serve as equals with the Assistant Commissioner focused on administrative functions and the Chief of Patrol serving as the primary law enforcement head.

Divisions

The Oklahoma Law Enforcement Telecommunications System is a program of the Department of Public Safety. OLETS is an information sharing network that allows law enforcement agencies across the State access to both State databases as well as information from the various States as well as the Federal Government. The types of data on the system varies from motor vehicle and drivers' license data to state criminal history and correctional records.
OLETS gathers and distributes information from the following agencies:
In order for a local law enforcement agency to gain access to OLETS, it must first sign an agreement with the Department stating the terms and conditions of their access.

Staffing

The Department of Public Safety, with an annual budget of over several hundred million dollars, is one of the larger employers of the State. For fiscal year 2014, the Department was authorized 1456 full-time employees.
ProgramNumber of Employees
Administration73
Homeland Security17
Highway Safety24
Law Enforcement1004
Telecommunications29
Drivers License247
Motor Vehicle Operations28
Size and Weight Permits34
Total1,456

Budget

The Department of Public Safety is the tenth-largest State agency by annual appropriation. The Department receives the revenue for its budget from three major areas: yearly appropriations, grants from the federal government, and fees. For fiscal year 2020, appropriations made up 52.2%, revolving funds made up 36.12%, federal funds made up 11.57%, and 0.08% came from Agency Special Accounts.
Expenditures made by the Department are divided into three major areas: salaries and benefits for employees, operation expenses, and equipment. The remaining 3% is used for various other expenses.
The divisions of the Department operation with the following budgets for Fiscal Year 2020:
ProgramFunding
Administration$8.8
Board of Tests$0.3
Driver Licensing Services$23.2
Highway Patrol$105.2
Highway Safety Office$9.6
Homeland Security$3.7
ISD Data Processing$3.6
Motor Vehicle Operations$10.5
Size and Weight Permits$2.4
Telecommunications$6.7