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Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Turnover of state workers climbing as their salaries fall further behind
A newly-released study finds that average salaries for state employees fell to 24 percent below the competitive labor market in 2016, "a continued deterioration of the state's salary position to the market." As compensation fell further behind, the state employee turnover rate rose to 20.5 percent in 2016, which is a nearly 40 percent increase from a decade earlier. Employee turnover cost the state over $135 million in 2016, the report found.
These findings are part of the annual compensation report that is required by law to be done each year by the Office and Management and Enterprise Services. The report uses a market pricing approach that compares state employee compensation with that offered by public and private sector organizations in Oklahoma and surrounding states. It analyzes survey data for 274 benchmark jobs for classified state employees, representing 70 percent of all state employees. The report was prepared in the fall of 2016 and the report is dated January 2017, although it was only released to the public this month.
Key Findings
- Oklahoma state employees are underpaid. The average salary for Oklahoma state employees, $43,979, is 24.13 percent below the average market salary for comparable jobs, $57,965, in 2016. When total compensation, including benefits, is considered, Oklahoma is 21.12 percent below the external labor market.
- The salary gap is growing. The state average salary has increased by 39 percent since 2005, while the market has increased close to 70 percent.
- Most employees have gone a decade without a pay increase. The last across-the-board pay raise for state employees was in 2007. In 2014, several occupation groups, including correctional officers, nurses, and law enforcement, received 6-8 percent raises.
- Turnover rates are high and rising. In 2016, the voluntary turnover rate of state employees, which includes resignations, retirements, and voluntary buyouts, was 16.44 percent, while the total turnover rate, which includes discharges, deaths and involuntary reductions in force, hit 20.52 percent. As the chart shows, the turnover rate is at its highest level since at least 2000 and is about 40 percent higher than its peak from the years 2000-2011.
- Heavy staff turnover imposes heavy costs. The turnover cost for the state's classified workforce was $135.8 million in 2016, based on a conservative costing model.
The state workforce is shrinking
In addition to lagging pay, Oklahoma's state employee workforce is substantially smaller than it was a decade ago. Budget cuts have forced most agencies to leave positions unfilled and implement voluntary buyouts and involuntary staff reductions. In FY 2016, the state employed 36,376 workers, which is 4.8 percent fewer than in FY 2006 and fewer than in FY 2001. Meanwhile, over the past 15 years, the state's overall population has increased by almost 500,000 people, or 14 percent. This overall population growth has meant growing responsibilities and workloads for state workers, whether it's in the number of licensing permits to issue, childhood immunizations to provide, court cases to administer, or prisoners to oversee. The combination of stagnant and noncompetitive pay and increasing workloads helps account for the high turnover rate of state employees.
The state employee compensation study does not include public school employees or employees of the higher education system. Oklahoma public school teachers have experienced similar salary challenges as state employees: Oklahoma's average teacher salary (including benefits) was $45,276 in 2016, ranking us 49th and ahead of only West Virginia and Arizona, according to NEA data. The last time Oklahoma lawmakers raised the teacher salary schedule was 2008.
Time for action
The new compensation report concludes with a brief recommendations section that states:
Although current revenue shortfalls and the likelihood of the continuation of these shortfalls in the foreseeable future have severely restricted the state from taking any meaningful steps this year to improve its competitive position in the market, the state should be prepared to address pay concerns when funds are available.
Low pay takes a toll on state employees struggling to provide for their families and pay their bills, and high turnover adds substantial cost and disruption for state government. It's encouraging that the Republican budget plan introduced in late October included a $1,000 raise for state employees, but that's just a fraction of what's needed to make up for years of stagnation. It's past time for lawmakers to adopt a comprehensive budget plan that allows us to meet our core responsibilities, including to the state employees who work hard serving the people of Oklahoma.
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[In The Know] House, Senate vote to 'stop the bleeding,' but gap remains
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22.2%
Percentage of Oklahoma prison inmates held in private prisons as of October 2017
Source: Department of Corrections
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QotD 10/31/2017
“I thought that the scariest things that would happen to Henry were his congenital heart diagnosis and a brain injury. But it turns out the most frightening thing in Henry’s life is the state government.”
– Erin Taylor, whose son Henry was born with a complex congenital heart condition, on the potential impacts of cuts to DHS (Source)
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In The Know: House, Senate vote to ‘stop the bleeding,’ but gap remains
Today In The News
House, Senate vote to 'stop the bleeding,' but gap remains: The Oklahoma House advanced several funding measures Monday for the state's three major health care agencies, but the money won't be enough to fill the $215 million shortfall that triggered a special session. A funding gap will remain, but the money is reportedly enough to keep the agencies afloat until April 21, well after lawmakers return in February for regular session. The bills now move on to the Senate. They can be heard as early as Wednesday [NewsOK]. Lawmakers must use special session to fix the budget, not pass the buck [OK Policy].
State Health Department Head, Deputy Resign Amid Questions Over Agency Finances: The top official and a senior deputy at the Oklahoma State Department of Health have resigned amid findings that the agency overspent and mismanaged finances for years. In an emergency meeting Monday night, the Oklahoma State Board of Health accepted the resignations of Health Commissioner Terry Cline and Senior Deputy Commissioner Julie Cox-Kain, effective immediately. The department is grappling with an unexplained $10 million cash crunch, recently implementing furloughs and program cuts and announcing layoffs [Oklahoma Watch].
Thousands fear impact of looming DHS cuts: There is no prejudice when it comes to the number of Oklahomans who would be directly impacted by cuts at the Department of Human Services. As state lawmakers met for yet another day of debate Monday, they were met with watchful eyes. Estelle Chappell currently receives assistance through the Daily Living Center. "At the Daily Living Center we have different activities and we go to different places and do things,” said Chappell. “And we're in touch with somebody else in the same shape we're in." But all of that could cease to exist if a budget deal isn't reached. And it will impact everyone, young and old [KOKH].
State Health Department To Begin Furloughing Workers: Budget issues mean the Oklahoma State Department of Health will begin furloughing workers this week. The furloughs affect both county and central office employees. The Department also announced last week it will also be eliminating approximately 250 positions due to a lack of funding [News On 6].
Rural hospitals sue Blue Cross: A Tulsa judge has intervened in a contract dispute between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma and several rural hospitals. The four hospitals requested the temporary restraining order after the insurance company told them it would slash provider reimbursement rates. One of the hospitals previously told The Oklahoman the rates would be cut by 30 percent for all services, except for those delivered in the emergency room. BCBS, which holds the greatest share of Oklahoma's insurance market, has not publicly confirmed the rate proposals [NewsOK].
Court puts new DUI law on ice: For the fifth time this year, the Oklahoma Supreme Court will consider a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a bill that the Legislature passed during the regular session. Senate Bill 643 created several new policies that apply to residents arrested for and charged with driving under the influence, including provisions that allow the state to punish people who take court-mandated blood alcohol testers off of their cars. It allowed residents to take impaired driver accountability classes to regain driving privileges. It also allowed law enforcement officials to immediately destroy a driver’s license after an arrest and punished people who refuse to take blood alcohol level tests [Journal Record].
Advocates hope for budget fix to save drug court: Drug court was a lifesaver for Broadway House director David Lowden. He has no doubt in his mind the intensive program played a substantial role in his rehabilitation from a life of drug abuse onto working in the rehabilitation center on 2nd Avenue housing 27 men on the road to sober living. The threat of losing such a resource for those suffering with addiction does not sit well with Lowden [Daily Ardmoreite].
What's being done to lower Oklahoma's high rate of female incarceration? For more than 25 years, Oklahoma has had the highest female incarceration rate in the nation. The vast majority of women going to prison in this state are serving time for non-violent, drug-related crimes. While other conservative states like Texas and Georgia have reduced sentences for those offenses, Oklahoma’s female prison population is projected to continue to grow at an alarming rate. This troubling trend costs taxpayers and tears families apart [KOKH]. Let down and locked up: Why Oklahoma’s female incarceration is so high [Reveal].
‘The comments were depressing,’ Teacher survey says bad behavior rising inside Oklahoma City classrooms: If you read the latest Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers survey, you may have seen comments like “I do not at all feel supported or valued by district staff.” Another teacher wrote "I will be leaving the classroom at the end of this year, not due to abysmal pay or shameful state funding, but because I am not supported, valued, or respected." Ed Allen, president of the Oklahoma City AFT, said the comments were from Oklahoma City public school teachers [KFOR].
Oklahoma family says deported father was tricked by ICE agents: A father of six was deported to Mexico, but his family said he was tricked by ICE agents into thinking he was safe. Luis Plaza Moreno, an undocumented immigrant working in restaurants in the U.S. since 2002, was detained and deported suddenly, without warning Saturday. His wife and children, the youngest struggling with autism, were left behind [KFOR].
Quote of the Day
"I thought that the scariest things that would happen to Henry were his congenital heart diagnosis and a brain injury. But it turns out the most frightening thing in Henry's life is the state government."
- Erin Taylor, whose son Henry was born with a complex congenital heart condition, on the potential impacts of cuts to DHS (Source)
Number of the Day
22.2%
Percentage of Oklahoma prison inmates held in private prisons as of October 2017
Source: Department of Corrections
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
The Fight to Fix America's Broken Bail System: Last May, Houston police pulled over Maranda Lynn ODonnell. The 22-year-old had driven through a toll plaza without paying. When officers ran the tags on her car, they found she was driving with a suspended license, didn’t carry car insurance and had already racked up $1,487.25 in unpaid tolls. The officers arrested her. During her intake at jail, a pretrial services agent interviewed her and recommended she be released on a “personal bond,” which doesn’t require any upfront payments. Nonetheless, the next day a hearing officer set her bail at $2,500 [Governing].
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Monday, October 30, 2017
Neglected Oklahoma Banner
Join us in November for OKC and Tulsa release parties of our new book, Neglected Oklahoma!
You can find more info about the events here or purchase the book online here.
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QOTD (10/30/17)
“The reality is, State Question 640 is working exactly as Oklahomans intended it to when they passed it two decades ago. They wanted to make it really hard for the Legislature to raise taxes, and I can assure them it is. At this point, it has become increasingly evident that there are likely no options that require 76 votes that can pass in the House.”
– Speaker of the House Charles McCall (R-Atoka) discussing the difficulty of raising new revenue during special session. A plan that included an increase in the gross production tax failed in committee in the House on Friday (Source)
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96
Deaths in Oklahoma prisons in calendar year 2016
Source: Department of Corrections
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In The Know: With no budget deal, legislators ‘quickly exhausting all options’
Today In The News
With no budget deal, legislators 'quickly exhausting all options': Legislative leaders Friday were scrambling to come up with a plan B as the fate of the state’s only real revenue-raising measure seemed increasingly uncertain. “At this point, there’s not a plan B or an option B, I would say,” state Rep. Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston, who serves as the House’s budget chair, said Friday afternoon. [CNHI] Lawmakers must use special session to fix the budget, not pass the buck [OK Policy]
Budget bill dead after committee gavels out; could be brought back at later time: A compromise discussed in the House budget committee went nowhere Friday after a failed revenue-raising measure this week. House Bill 1054 was tied 11 to 11 before the committee officially gaveled out early Friday evening. [KFOR] House Democrats release compromise letter sent prior to failure of budget bill [KFOR] Votes on state budget fix called off Saturday as revenue proposals continue to divide Oklahoma lawmakers [Tulsa World]
After failing 'miserably' on tax-raising measure, state lawmakers move on to 'Plan B' with deep cuts: On to Plan B. The Oklahoma House of Representatives Appropriations Committee “failed miserably,” in the words of Gov. Mary Fallin, to move “Plan A” on Friday, leaving legislators with the grim prospect of whacking another $60 million to $100 million from appropriations and voting on a measure that would essentially impose an ungainly and sure-to-be unpopular sales tax on motor fuels. [Tulsa World] What happens ‘when push comes to shove’ on the budget [OK Policy]
New Poll Measures Thoughts On State Budget, Tax Increases: News 9 commissioned SoonerPoll.com to survey likely voters on various aspects of the budget proposals that have been circulating at the Capitol. The diverse group was in general agreement on one thing -- that the Legislature is not doing a good job. Asked if they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the Oklahoma State Legislature, 66 percent said their opinion was either somewhat or very unfavorable. Twenty-six percent said they view the legislature somewhat or very favorably. [News 9] Oklahoma taxes are the lowest in our region, and falling [OK Policy]
Oklahoma moms appeal: Fix the budget gap: "Frustration." That seems to be the one word used to describe the budget battle in Oklahoma. On Thursday, Republicans in the State Senate indicated they would consider doubling the current production tax on oil and gas wells as a way to break a stalemate and fix that $215 million shortfall. [KTEN]
Gov. Fallin warning state agencies to prepare for additional cuts after budget bill stalls: After a tumultuous week at the Oklahoma State Capitol, lawmakers say they are going back to the drawing board. On Monday, Gov. Mary Fallin announced that an agreement had been reached to fill the $215 million deficit.On Wednesday, the measure failed to receive the necessary 76 votes to pass the House, finishing with a final vote of 54- 44. [KFOR] State and local agencies brace for ripple effect of cuts [Norman Transcript] Health care is increasingly central to Oklahoma’s economy [OK Policy]
Lawmakers look to simplify school funding formula: State lawmakers are in the early stages of possibly changing Oklahoma's complex school funding formula, which has remained virtually unchanged for 36 years despite major shifts in public education and student needs. [The Oklahoman]
Lawmakers say they aren't in it for money: As the Oklahoma House of Representatives continues to introduce proposals to patch the budget that have no hope of passing, outsiders are trying to tighten the screws...last week, the Legislative Compensation Board - which usually meets to discuss pay raises for lawmakers - voted to keep annual compensation at $38,400 per legislator and meet again in four months to discuss the issue further. A pay cut was suggested by some. [Tahlequah Daily Press]
State finally on the road to REAL ID compliance: After weeks of witnessing the Oklahoma legislative process at its worst, it’s worth remembering once when the current people in charge at the state Capitol got things right. Last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security notified the state that it has been granted an extension through Oct. 10, 2018, for compliance with federal REAL ID mandates. [Editorial Writers/Tulsa World]
At the heart of the popular Open Streets events is the health message around active transportation: If you’ve visited one of the highly successful Oklahoma City-County Health Department’s Open Streets OKC events, you’ve witnessed local residents challenging their friends in a tug-of-war, others striking dance moves (salsa, line and belly), kids playing hopscotch, teens taking turns hitting a wiffle ball and much more. [OK Gazette]
Quote of the Day
“The reality is, State Question 640 is working exactly as Oklahomans intended it to when they passed it two decades ago. They wanted to make it really hard for the Legislature to raise taxes, and I can assure them it is. At this point, it has become increasingly evident that there are likely no options that require 76 votes that can pass in the House.”
- Speaker of the House Charles McCall (R-Atoka) discussing the difficulty of raising new revenue during special session. A plan that included an increase in the gross production tax failed in committee in the House on Friday.
Number of the Day
96
Deaths in Oklahoma prisons in calendar year 2016
Source: Department of Corrections
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Local income taxes were once blamed for causing businesses to flee to the suburbs. Not anymore.: For the past 30 years, local government finance has revolved around a simple, controversial idea known as the “suburban exploitation thesis.” As the theory goes, suburbs have prospered at the expense of central cities. They’ve stolen taxpayers and businesses, and left behind hollowed-out shells of once-great communities. They benefit from unique central city amenities like parks, museums, universities and downtown business districts, but contribute nothing in exchange [Governing]
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[In The Know] With no budget deal, legislators 'quickly exhausting all options'
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Sunday, October 29, 2017
The Weekly Wonk: Lawmakers should listen to their constituents during this special session
The Weekly Wonk: Lawmakers should listen to their constituents during this special session
The Weekly Wonk: Lawmakers should listen to their constituents during this special session
What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In The Know. Click here to subscribe to In The Know. This Week fro...
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The Weekly Wonk: Lawmakers should listen to their constituents during this special session
What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In The Know. Click here to subscribe to In The Know. This Week fro...
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[The Weekly Wonk] Lawmakers should listen to their constituents during this special session
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The Weekly Wonk: Lawmakers should listen to their constituents during this special session
This Week from OK Policy
Executive Director David Blatt's Journal Record Column encouraged legislators to listen to their constituents and restore the gross production tax to at least 5 percent as part of any budget deal during special session. OK Policy issued two statements this week about budget deals. On Monday, OK Policy argued that the Republican budget plan ignored obvious solutions to the state's revenue crisis - that plan failed on Wednesday. On Thursday, OK Policy encouraged lawmakers to seriously consider a less-than-ideal compromise budget plan as, perhaps, the best possible outcome of this special session.
OK Policy in the News
Blatt was interviewed by the Christian Science Monitor for their story about the harmful effects of tax cuts and industry incentives on public services in Oklahoma. The lack of a budget deal thus far in special session is not helping the crisis situation now being faced by some public service agencies. Blatt spoke with Public Radio Tulsa and Fox25 about the inadequacies of the Republican plan announced on Monday. And Blatt spoke with KTUL after that plan failed on Wednesday.
Policy Director Gene Perry criticized the cigarette-tax-only approach to addressing the budge hole in an interview with KTUL. And on a brighter note, Policy Analyst Courtney Cullison was quoted by the Oklahoman in their piece about signs of progress in occupational licensing reform.
Advocacy Alert
The legislature is still in special session and they still need to hear from you – revenues must be raised in order to adequately fund core services. Click here to see our Advocacy Alert to find your legislators and to get more information. You can also check out our Special Session FAQs for updated information about what’s happening during the special session.
Upcoming Opportunities
We’re excited to announce the release of a new book from Oklahoma Policy Institute! Neglected Oklahoma: Voices from the Margins is a collection of nineteen essays written for the OK Policy Blog over four years by Oklahoma City writer and social justice advocate Camille Landry. Join us for the OKC release party on Nov. 7th, 6:30 pm, at Full Circle Bookstore (RSVP here), or the Tulsa release party on Nov. 29th, 6:30 pm, at Bound for Glory Books (RSVP here).
OU-Tulsa will host Bryan Samuels, Executive Director of Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, for a lecture about making child welfare systems more effective on November 7th at 6:00 pm. For more information or to RSVP click here.
Weekly What’s That
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a tax credit that subsidizes work for low-income families. The amount of EITC depends on a family’s earnings and number of children; the maximum credit in 2015 was roughly $5,500 for a family with two children. Oklahoma is one of 26 states with a state EITC, set at 5 percent of the federal credit. The state EITC was claimed on 331,854 returns for $39.1 million in 2012, according to Oklahoma Tax Commission records. Though the federal EITC is refundable, Oklahoma’s EITC no longer is. In 2016, the credit was made non-refundable. Read more here.
Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here.
Quote of the Week
“We plead with our legislators to stop aligning your party affiliation and find a solution to the budget deficit. Compromise on both sides is a must. If we don’t act immediately, we will be killing Oklahomans on a daily basis because we are not providing them the necessary mental health treatment.”
– Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes, speaking on behalf of the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police at a press conference with the Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. OKDMHSAS announced that it will severely cut outpatient services if lawmakers are not able to strike a budget deal (Source)
Editorial of the Week
PolitiFact, the Pulitzer Prize winning fact-checking partner of the Tulsa World, recently judged a statement by two writers from the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs as “mostly false.” That judgment seems unfair to me on the basis that PolitiFact made it, although I would judge the OCPA writers’ conclusions to be ridiculous and misleading for different reasons. The “fact” in question — included in an Oct. 5 Tulsa World op/ed column, “State budget crisis? What budget crisis?” — is this: “The state is on track to spend more in this fiscal year — more than $17.9 billion — than at any time in state history.”
Numbers of the Day
- 15th - Oklahoma’s rank for the rate of women killed by men in 2015, the first time the state has been outside the top ten since 2010.
- 1,041 - How many fewer corrections staff employed by the state of Oklahoma in 2016 compared to 2009, a nearly 18 percent drop.
- 49th - Oklahoma’s rank for percentage of income going to state and local taxes out of all 50 states and Washington DC (2014). Only Tennessee and Florida had lower taxes.
- 20.52% - Turnover rate for Oklahoma state employees in FY 2016, a 40 percent increase from turnover rates in the previous decade.
- $55,000 - Family income limit for students applying for full tuition college scholarships through the Oklahoma’s Promise program starting in 2017-18, the first increase since being set at $50,000 in 2000.
See previous Numbers of the Day and sources here.
What We’re Reading
- Think Automatic Voter Registration Just Benefits Democrats? Not Necessarily [Governing]
- I’m a billionaire. Please raise my taxes [Tom Steyer / Los Angeles Times]
- Child Poverty Falls to Record Low, Comprehensive Measure Shows Stronger Government Policies Account for Long-Term Improvements [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
- Is Health Care a Right? [The New Yorker]
- Why Corporate Tax Cuts Won’t Create Jobs [The New York Times]
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Friday, October 27, 2017
***Arrests for possession of marijuana spiked in Oklahoma last year. What’s going on?
In May, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) released official crime statistics for 2016. While most attention on crime rates is rightly devoted to serious crimes, OSBI noted an eye-catching development in a supplemental report: arrests for drug crimes increased by over 20 percent from 2015. When viewed in light of other trends in the report, it suggests that some law enforcement agencies may be devoting more resources to low-level drug crimes - possibly at the expense of investigating more serious crimes. If that's the case, we are badly misprioritizing in our efforts to keep communities safe.
Local agencies made more drug arrests in 2016, but fewer arrests for other crimes
OSBI includes statistics both for crimes that are reported to law enforcement and for arrests made by agencies. Reports of most "index crimes" - serious offenses like murder, aggravated assault, and burglary - increased in number from 2015, while the number of murders ticked down. Overall, the number of index crimes (not the crime rate, which takes into account population changes) rose by 5.1 percent following three consecutive years of decreases.
Despite the rise in reported index crimes, the number of arrests for those offenses by county and city agencies fell by over 10 percent (our analysis does not include state agencies or juvenile arrests, which causes variations from numbers cited here). Similarly, arrests for alcohol-related crimes fell by over 10 percent, continuing a long decline. But the number of drug arrests by local agencies increased by about 16 percent, by far the largest single-year increase in recent years. This is enough to at least raise an eyebrow - with more serious crimes being reported, why are there fewer arrests for those crimes but more for drug crimes?
The increase in drug arrests was driven by marijuana and uncategorized drugs
OSBI also provides numbers of drug arrests broken down by possession or sales/manufacturing, as well as the category of the substance: marijuana; opium, cocaine and their derivatives; synthetic narcotics; and other. Possession accounted for about 9 in 10 drug arrests in 2016. While all categories of drugs saw increases in arrests, the increases were far higher for marijuana and other drugs; together, these categories accounted for 80 percent of the increase in the number of arrests.
The increase in marijuana arrests is more puzzling. Numbers had been following a clear downward trend, seeing an increase in only one of the previous seven years. The increase of 20 percent from 2015 to 2016 is a drastic deviation from that trend, alone accounting for 43 percent of the overall increase in drug arrests. As Oklahoma prepares to vote on legalizing marijuana for medical purposes in 2018, the trend seems to be far out of step with the current moment.
Are law enforcement agencies shifting priorities?
It's no secret that many law enforcement leaders were among the loudest opponents to SQ 780, the ballot question passed by voters in 2016 that reclassified simple drug possession and minor property crimes as misdemeanors rather than felonies. In the run-up to the election, for example, Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton darkly predicted that people with addictions would create havoc: “They can steal more, and use drugs freely and openly. If you're caught with heroin on a school playground, you're guilty of a misdemeanor. ... I think it sends a message that these things aren't as bad.” Oklahoma voters didn't see it that way, passing the questions by healthy margins.
Misplaced priorities are harmful to all Oklahomans
Local law enforcement leaders must make critical decisions about where to focus their limited resources. The best research shows that the most effective ways to prevent crime are to address issues like substance abuse through treatment rather than punishment, and to make people who would break the law feel that they're likely to be caught. This year's crime statistics show that, on average, our law enforcement agencies are moving in the opposite direction: focusing less on investigating and making arrests for serious crimes, and spending more time arresting people for drug crimes. This is the wrong approach if we hope to make Oklahoma communities safer and stronger.
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