Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor has announced the recipients of the 2023 Safe Oklahoma Grant, which will provided $2 million among 58 statewide law enforcement agencies. Those receiving grants locally include the Shawnee Police Department and Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office.

The Shawnee Police Department will receive $40,000, which will be used to help provide overtime pay for officers patrolling high crime areas and to provide additional patrols during the holidays, said Shawnee Police spokesperson Vivian Lozano.

The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office was awarded $10,800, while the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office will get $10,000. Also in Lincoln County, the Davenport Police Department was awarded $5,000.

Attorney General O’Connor said money from the grant will help agencies directly target crime in their communities, pay overtime costs for officers, upgrade antiquated technology, enhance analytical capabilities, and purchase new resources.

“I am happy to announce that my office received a record number of applications this year and was able to allocate to more agencies than ever before,” said Attorney General O’Connor. “This program has proven to help our law enforcement partners do their job better and reduce crime across the state. My office is honored to play a role in making communities safer by distributing these funds.”

During his announcement on Wednesday, General O’Connor was joined by Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin, Norman Police Chief Kevin Foster, and Pauls Valley Police Chief Mitch McGill. The four agencies combined received $871,601.00 of the funding through the 2023 grant and spoke about how their agencies would use the money.

The grant allows law enforcement agencies to submit proposals to the attorney general’s office stating how the funds will be used to reduce crime.

Attorney General O’Connor said the grant continues to help both rural and metro-area agencies with basic policing necessities as well as advanced technology.

“Each department need is different, but they are all necessary to fight crime and keep our communities safe,” he said. “For example, the Pauls Valley Police Department is using the grant funds to upgrade its antiquated ink fingerprint system to a live scan fingerprint system, a tool that is used by most local agencies and has been around for 25 years.”

Local agencies have received this type of grant before. Lozano said Shawnee has used Safe Oklahoma Grant funding from previous grant years to fund officers for extra patrols to help reduce crime.

About the Safe Oklahoma Grant Program

Established in 2012, the Attorney General’s Safe Oklahoma Grant Program is funded by an annual appropriation from the state legislature.

All sheriff’s and other local law enforcement agencies, including campus police, are eligible for the grant.

After the applications are reviewed, the grants are made on a one-year period and continued funding is not guaranteed. Applicants must include the city’s violent crime rate for the previous five years.

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