Car Show Gives OHP Opportunity To Recruit Applicants As It Faces Trooper Shortage

Law enforcement agencies from all over the Tulsa area are out showing off their cars, both new and old, at the Heroes and Hot Rods car show while OHP is recruiting future troopers.

Trooper Scott Hulsey is reminiscing the early days of his career.

"This is exactly like my first patrol car when I came on in 1992," he said, referring to a car at the event.

With a heart to serve Oklahomans, he decided to apply, which is what Trooper Dwight Durant is trying to get other people to do.

"You have to have compassion to do this job,” said Durant.

Durant says the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is providing $5 million to OHP so it can have an academy and bring on 30 more troopers to the shrinking force.

Statewide, more than a quarter of OHP troopers are eligible to retire.

"And they are retiring daily, sometimes weekly" Durant stated.

Durant says this next round of hires won't make the impact OHP needs.

"Ideally what we would like to do going forward is we need about an 80-100 man academy for four or five years to stop the trend of our numbers dwindling,” Durant explained.

Applications are online and the deadline to apply is June 30th.

As for Hulsey, he recalled the first time he pulled someone over.

"My training trooper was laughing at me,” he stated. “I just didn't quite know what I was getting myself into at that time."

It was only the beginning of his 25-year long career. 

The event organizer said the show raised about $2,000 for the Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police Benevolent Fund.