OK Lawmaker Pushing Plan To Consolidate Law Enforcement Agencies

A former state trooper is pushing a plan to consolidate state law enforcement agencies, including the one he used to work for.

Rep. Mike Christian chairs the House Public Safety committee, and he held an interim study this summer on this notion of making the state's law enforcement entities more efficient and effective by consolidating them. He said he's heard from all the stakeholders and consulted with House leadership and he's going forward with his plan.

In a statement he released Wednesday, Christian said, "There is limited sharing of information or resources between state law enforcement agencies. We are only one of a few states that still operate this way."

Christian said for now, they would just be looking to consolidate the Department of Public Safety, The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, and the State Bureau of Investigation. Going forward, they would probably bring other state agencies into the mix, but for now, just these three.

The Oklahoma City Republican said he understands that each of these agencies has a proud history and that any bill that is passed would be careful to respect those individual traditions.

Still, Christian said, "I am confident that this re-organization will not only effectively ensure Oklahoma's safety, but also save our taxpayers' dollars."

I reached out to officials with each of the three potentially affected agencies. I was only able to get in touch with a spokesperson for OSBI. She said at this point they have no comment on the proposal.