Oklahoma Highway Patrol
| Oklahoma Highway Patrol | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | OHP |
Patch of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol
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| Agency overview | |
| Formed | April 20, 1937 |
| Employees | 982 (as of 2011) |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of Oklahoma, USA |
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| Map of Oklahoma Highway Patrol's jurisdiction. | |
| Size | 69,898 square miles (181,030 km2) |
| Population | 3,814,820 (2012 est.) |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Troopers | 805 (as of 2016) |
| Civilians | 204 (as of 2011) |
| Agency executive | Colonel Ricky G. Adams, Chief of the Patrol |
| Parent agency | Oklahoma Department of Public Safety |
| Website | |
| Oklahoma Highway Patrol website | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) is a major state law enforcement agency of the government of Oklahoma. A division of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, the OHP acts as Oklahoma's state police agency. OHP was legislatively created on July 1, 1937 due to the growing problem of motor vehicle collisions, the expansion of a highway system, and the increase in criminal activities.
As the principal statewide law enforcement agency in Oklahoma, the State Patrol is dedicated to providing quality policing directed at achieving safer roadways and reducing crime through pro-active investigations, education and patrol services and by providing leadership and resources during natural disasters, civil disorders and critical incidents. OHP has patrol jurisdiction over all State highways and waterways in Oklahoma, regulating motor vehicles, regulating explosive devices, and providing protection for the Governor of Oklahoma, the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma and members of the Oklahoma Legislature.
The Highway Patrol is under the command of Colonel Ricky G. Adams, who is the current Chief of the Highway Patrol. Adams was appointed by DPS Commissioner Michael C. Thompson to succeed Kerry Pettingill as Chief. Prior to his appointment, Adams served as the Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety.
In 1937, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol was created under Governor E. W. Marland. That same year the first 125 graduated from the Highway Patrol Academy. The new state troopers met resistance from Oklahoma motorists who were not used to living within the bounds of traffic regulations when none had ever before existed. But the troopers were prepared for this as they paved the way for all future officers by exerting good manners and service to all citizens. A total of 288,277 warnings compared with only 5,518 arrests and citations were written in the first nine months of patrol.
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