House Bill Aimed At Allowing Police To Patrol Multiple Jurisdictions Fails

State Representative Kevin West is thinking about reintroducing a bill that would allow officers to work in more than one jurisdiction.

West said House Bill 1663 stems from an issue with police jurisdiction in parts of the state including right here in Oklahoma City.

A 2018 class action lawsuit claims that dozens, maybe even hundreds of drivers, have been ticketed over on a stretch of roadway that is technically not in Valley Brook.

House Bill 1663 did not pass this legislative session, but West is considering bringing it back.

In a statement to News 9 Representative West stated:

“The intention of this legislation is to grant joint jurisdiction on roadways if the roadway forms the boundary. Currently in these situations, joint jurisdiction can only be granted with agreement between the cities. I have personally talked to several of the OKC metro inner cities and all of them have expressed that this is an issue, which is why I have decided to run this legislation.” 

“It's being twisted and added to by this proposed amendment that does nothing but create more confusion and for sure benefiting Valley Brook,” Attorney Marvel Lewis said.

Lewis said this is just an opportunity for Valley Brook to make money off of drivers on streets not in their jurisdiction.

West said this bill will allow both jurisdictions the ability to patrol boundary roadways. For example, if a street splits in different cities, West believes officers from either town should be able to patrol either side of the street.

“It's mainly for tickets. That town, I don't know the exact number, but I believe 90% of their revenue is derived from traffic stops they make on SE 59th Street and Eastern,” Lewis said.

In a statement to News 9 Valley Brook Police Chief Mike Stamp said:

"We cannot comment on the jurisdictional issues in Valley Brook due to ongoing litigation."