Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has blocked a plan to remove state troopers from interstates in the state’s two largest metro areas, calling the move unlawful and a threat to public safety.

In a formal opinion issued Tuesday morning, Drummond said the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) is legally obligated to patrol all interstates statewide, including those in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

“The short answer is no — it is not [legal],” Drummond said, speaking alongside metro law enforcement leaders. “Frankly, the Stitt administration’s decision to abdicate this responsibility is not only unlawful, but it is bewildering.”

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced the plan in July, proposing to reassign troopers away from metro interstates in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Del City, Edmond,

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