Oklahoma AG Discusses Accomplishments, Goals After 100 Days In Office

April 18 marks 100 days in office for Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Drummond said he had a long list of priorities when he took over the job and while progress has been made, there's more work to do.

Drummond said the state is moving in the right direction when it comes to improving relationships with the tribes, shutting down illegal marijuana grows, and bringing transparency and accountability to state government, which he said in January were his top priorities.

"It's been busy. There were a lot of things that needed addressing in the attorney general's office,” said Drummond.

Drummond believes his ability to make quick decisions and move forward has helped solve problems.

He said he's worked hard with the tribes of Oklahoma to figure out how to seamlessly handle criminal justice.

Drummond said one of the state's biggest problems is illegal marijuana grows. Drummond is building a task force which will integrate state and federal partners to go after foreign nationals who are running illegal operations.

"We need to do more. We need to tackle the organizer, the criminal syndicate. That's what we need to focus on now and I think we have the skillset in my office to do that and we will,” said Drummond.

Drummond also got more time added between executions. He said the pace was too fast for the DOC workers and all they have to do leading up to the execution. Each execution requires a 34 day protocol where DOC staff rehearses their roles every day leading up to the execution.

"At a 30 day pacing, they are starting the next protocol before they've executed the last one, so my request to the Court of Criminal Appeals was to expand it to 60 days. They complete an execution and have about two weeks to regroup, go back home, and see their families,” said Drummond.

While Drummond has been tackling issues on his list, other problems have come up, like ordering an audit of Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and its ACCESS Oklahoma project, which has now been put on hold.

"It's off-putting that they've discontinued the project ACCESS. It give me greater pause for concern, what have they done with the funding? Why are we running out of money? It just adds more fuel to the fire of the investigation,” said Drummond.

Drummond said accountability and transparency in state government has increased dramatically since he's been in office.

"We have to be accountable. If I am accountable for your money, I am going to spend it more carefully. If I am not accountable to you and it's your money, then I am tempted to spend it on things that are not within the clear defined role my agency should do,” said Drummond. "We've had a low standard. We are in the top 10 of all bad things and the bottom 10 of all good things. We need to flip that by holding the standard higher and that's my job. I fashion myself as the umpire. I'm not throwing the pitch, I'm not catching the pitch, nor am I swinging at it, but I'm calling balls and strikes."