Oklahoma DPS seeks $25.9M for two academies to add 150 troopers, cites operational strain
January 12, 2026 | 2026 Legislature OK, Oklahoma
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Commissioner Tim Tipton, head of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, told the Legislature the agency faces persistent manpower shortfalls, an aging fleet and legacy radio systems that hamper operational safety. Tipton said DPS needs an additional 150 troopers to provide more consistent 24/7 coverage across field troops and to reduce the frequency of troopers working on-call.
Tipton asked for $25,895,000 to fund two full patrol academies in the upcoming fiscal year and explained the agency’s plan to start one academy in March funded from internal savings and partner donations. Each legislatively funded academy is expected to produce roughly 50 graduates; Tipton said a trio of back-to-back academies over 18 months could create a net staffing gain once attrition is accounted for.
He also said the Legislature shifted responsibility for a panic-button alert system (previously funded by the State Department of Education) to DPS; the agency is short about $1.6 million to pay for that subscription and has asked for a supplemental to cover the midyear cost.
Tipton reviewed enforcement successes—Oklahoma’s Child Abduction Response Team (OcART) has recovered 79 children to date—and Operation Guardian, which he said led to removal of more than 4,000 illegal aliens in cooperation with ICE. He also described training-facility construction, troop headquarters projects in Tulsa and Clinton, and a rural safety focus.
Members pressed Tipton on operational details including towing/wrecker rotation practices, overtime policy and recruiting/attrition. Tipton said DPS has modernized wrecker licensing and maintains separate rotations by vehicle type; he described an attrition trend in the mid-20s to 30s per year and argued that additional academies are needed to offset attrition and improve safety.
No formal votes were recorded; the committee asked DPS for further documents, including an assignment map and the agency’s itemized per-cadet cost breakdown.
Tipton asked for $25,895,000 to fund two full patrol academies in the upcoming fiscal year and explained the agency’s plan to start one academy in March funded from internal savings and partner donations. Each legislatively funded academy is expected to produce roughly 50 graduates; Tipton said a trio of back-to-back academies over 18 months could create a net staffing gain once attrition is accounted for.
He also said the Legislature shifted responsibility for a panic-button alert system (previously funded by the State Department of Education) to DPS; the agency is short about $1.6 million to pay for that subscription and has asked for a supplemental to cover the midyear cost.
Tipton reviewed enforcement successes—Oklahoma’s Child Abduction Response Team (OcART) has recovered 79 children to date—and Operation Guardian, which he said led to removal of more than 4,000 illegal aliens in cooperation with ICE. He also described training-facility construction, troop headquarters projects in Tulsa and Clinton, and a rural safety focus.
Members pressed Tipton on operational details including towing/wrecker rotation practices, overtime policy and recruiting/attrition. Tipton said DPS has modernized wrecker licensing and maintains separate rotations by vehicle type; he described an attrition trend in the mid-20s to 30s per year and argued that additional academies are needed to offset attrition and improve safety.
No formal votes were recorded; the committee asked DPS for further documents, including an assignment map and the agency’s itemized per-cadet cost breakdown.
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