Senate Passes 2 Bills Centered Around Law Enforcement

A pair of law enforcement bills recently approved in the Senate would streamline services and improve mental wellness training for first responders across Oklahoma.

The first is Senate Bill 1612, also known as the Department of Public Safety Unification Act. This bill would consolidate the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), Department of Public Safety (DPS), Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Control into one unit under DPS. Oklahoma is one of only three states that have the state division branches separated.

If the bill passes through the House the unification would take place next year.

Senator Kim David authored both HB 1612 and HB 1613. She said these need to be put into place because our first responders need all the resources they can get both personally and professionally.

“Unifying these agencies will address all of these and improve services through better collaboration and uniform training. We must ensure all public safety personnel get the same high-level training so they can easily move from one area of law enforcement to another, giving them more career opportunities whether they are highway patrol or want to go into investigations, drug enforcement, or other areas. I'm proud of this piece of legislation and appreciate my Senate colleague’s support,” David said.

Lawmakers also recently approved Senate Bill 1613, which would help DPS establish a Mental Wellness Division for first responders. It would authorize the division to enter into public and private partnerships and establish a nonprofit foundation to raise money.

Those funds would then be put toward building a wellness facility to focus on the mental and physical health of first responders. The center would include specialized trauma counselors, sleep treatments, and physical health help.

Oklahoma First Responder Wellness Coordinator Danny Long said this is the first center of its kind here and they hope to break ground on the facility next year.

“There are too many experienced officers firefighters EMTs that are hitting the door, we need to retain those people, but they are leaving here because their trauma tank is full,” Long said. “They can’t take another bad scene, they can’t see another dead kid, but they have nowhere to go.”

Both bills will now head to the House floor for further consideration.