New Attorney General Gentner Drummond Discusses Priorities For His Office

Gentner Drummond is the new top law man in the state as he takes over as Oklahoma's Attorney General.

Drummond told News On 6 that some of his top priorities are that the state has to have a better relationship with tribes, illegal marijuana grows need to be shut down, and there needs to be better accountability in state government.

Drummond hit the ground running in his first week as the state's AG and witnessed Thursday's execution of Scott Eizember in McAlester.

"It's been a busy week. I am a disciplined lawyer that has laid out as many agenda items and I wanted to launch as many as I could this week,” said Drummond.

Drummond said with his military background and 30 years in law and business, he isn't a stranger to leading large organizations.

One of his top priorities is rebuilding the state's relationship with Oklahoma's Native American Tribes. He said he's working to fix the issues happening between the state and tribes when it comes to law enforcement.

"The Native American tribes offer economic strength. The state of Oklahoma investigates, prosecutes and jails bad people very efficiently, and my hope is to blend those to the betterment of all Oklahomans,” said Drummond.

Drummond said he wants to focus on victim's rights and said unfortunately, Oklahoma ranks toward the bottom when it comes to safety of women, elderly, and minorities.

Drummond's other priority is shutting down illegal marijuana grows.

"To accomplish that, one I will own it,” said Drummond. “Someone in a statewide office needs to own that and that is my role."

He said he plans to work with lawmakers and state and federal agencies to stop the illegal grows.

"I think if we don't address it immediately, we will not recognize Oklahoma in a generation,” said Drummond.

He also said open records requests cannot be ignored and public documents should be made public.

"Journalists keep elected officials and appointed officials accountable. My computer is going to do state business that I am not afraid for you to see and publish. If we can establish that standard then our state actors will always think of our state first,” said Drummond.