'We Are Frustrated’: Oklahoma DPS System Crashes As Chronic Licensing Delays Continue

A statewide crash occurred Monday inside the Department of Public Safety, pausing licensing operations for about three hours. 

Spokespeople for DPS and the Office of Management & Enterprise Services said the system’s crash involved contractors operating agency computer systems. 

“All those people who had appointments during the last 3 hours, they’ve been sitting around waiting,” said DPS Spokesperson Sarah Stewart. “And then it just backs us up for the next day, and the next day. 

“We understand that people are frustrated, and we are frustrated right along with them,” she said. 

Wait times for licensing have spanned hours for several months, and it’s possible the demand for Real IDs will increase throughout the year. Starting October 1, every passenger will need a Real ID-compliant license to board domestic flights. 

Stewart said DPS may extend hours into the evening and open offices on weekends to meet the growing backlog of appointments, which are already booked for the next two months. 

“We are cognizant of that October 1 deadline,” she said. 

In addition to Monday’s crash, DPS and OMES have been working with two contractors, Microsoft and IDEMIA to resolve chronic delays in licensing processes. 

“We’re still looking for what that root cause is if there is a root cause for why we’re seeing these slowdowns.” 

A spokesperson for OMES said the agency has determined the issue lies with the contractors, not at the state level. 

“OMES is partnering with the Department of Public Safety and state service providers, IDEMIA and Microsoft, to investigate the root cause of the D360 application errors. OMES is continuing to take steps in line with the recommendations of the vendors to identify possible factors and take corrective action as new variables are brought to light. We are offering our resources to assist IDEMIA and Microsoft in their efforts to resolve the issues as quickly as possible. OMES will continue to stay in close communication with DPS leadership on these system delays until resolved.”

Stewart said anyone who wants to get a Real ID should schedule an appointment as soon as possible. 

Several renewals can be done online for driver’s licenses, commercial driver’s licenses and more, Stewart said. 

Click here to access the DPS homepage.