Officers, Troopers Honored At Annual Buckledown Awards

Three Oklahoma police officers and two state troopers were honored for their work at the annual Buckledown Awards on Thursday.

Tulsa motorcycle officer Larry Woods said being honored with a Buckledown Award is all about keeping Tulsa's roads safe. 

“I feel like it’s just going out and doing my job. You know everyone has a job to do and my job is traffic enforcement and so that’s what we do on a daily basis," said Officer Woods.

He has served as a Tulsa motorcycle officer for 20 years of his 24 years on the department. He's written thousands of tickets for traffic violations in school zones, districted driving, and speeding.

He said people seem to be driving faster and faster, even up to twice the speed limit in some parts of town. 

“Highways we have officers that are working up on the BA, 169, and 44 and they’re getting speeds in the hundreds. Our job is just to try to get people to slow down that’s all we’re trying to do is get you to slow down and to be safe," said Officer Woods.

OHP Trooper Aaron Nickell received an award for getting people off the roads, who are driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. 

“In 2019 we had 650 deaths on our roadways in the state of Oklahoma and I believe just over 40 percent were DUI collisions that caused the crash. So, that means we lost 270 people due to DUI drivers that we shouldn’t have," said Trooper Aaron Nickell.

He said they're seeing fewer drunk drivers on the roads, but more people driving high on drugs and medications.

Trooper Nickell said those crashes are preventable. 

“Nobody enjoys being stopped. I don’t enjoy when I get stopped, but it is what it is. You have to get stopped we have to see if you’re driving distracted, if you’re driving drunk, if you’re driving under the influence of medication or drugs. The only way we can catch these people before they crash and hurt somebody and kill somebody is by stopping cars," said Trooper Nickell.