Oklahoma Rep. seeks investigation after ODOC Director accidentally fires gun inside headquarters
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Representative J.J. Humphrey, R-Lane, is asking for the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC), Steven Harpe, to be investigated after he accidentally discharged a firearm inside the safe room at the ODOC headquarters last week.
The ODOC told KFOR Harpe got a gun from the safe and accidentally fired it Friday afternoon. The bullet hit the concrete floor.
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“It should be investigated because you have employees being fired for all kinds of things. Wait list violations that are completely out of their control due to violations of the administration’s policies due to being shorthanded, and they hold them accountable and again, fire them and ruin their lives over those kinds of things,” said Rep. Humphrey.
According to Humphrey’s sources, several employees heard a big bang and now he wants answers.
“This is an incident that would have had to have an incident report,” said Humphrey.
Humphrey also wonders what kind of gun training Harpe has completed.
“So, if you are going to go to work for a department, you’re going to carry a firearm. My understanding you must complete CLEET within six months. My question is, is he operating as though he does? Does he have CLEET certification?” said Humphrey.
ODOC says Harpe is not CLEET certified but he does not have to be. He just needs to be trained and qualified.
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ODOC also sent KFOR a video showing us where the bullet hit. They say the floor has minimal damage and add the round did not go through the floor.
They also say no one else was present and no maintenance has been done yet to fix it.
Humphrey just wants Harpe to be held responsible.
“I think it’s reasonable to ask for an outside investigation,” said Humphrey.
KFOR also asked ODOC about drug and alcohol testing. A spokesperson told KFOR that’s done if there’s reasonable suspicion of intoxication and in this case, there was none.
“I’ll say publicly, I don’t trust the credibility of the Department of Corrections,” said Humphrey.
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You can read the full statement from the Okahoma Department of Corrections below:
Late on Friday, Jan. 19, while in the safe room, Director Steven Harpe accidentally discharged his firearm into the concrete floor. The damage to the floor is minimal, and the round did not penetrate the floor. No one else was present. The director immediately reported it to ODOC’s law enforcement division. As per policy, Dir. Harpe is scheduled for remedial firearms training and will requalify. ODOC has handled this situation as it would with any employee. Dir. Harpe qualified as any correctional employee prior to carrying a firearm.
Accidental discharges are not uncommon among law enforcement. Since mid-2022, ODOC staff have been involved in nine accidental discharge incidents. Only one resulted in discipline; however, it was due to policy violations and not the discharge itself. The incident with Dir. Harpe is being amplified by a known critic of the agency. Contrary to his statements, ODOC is not covering this up or providing special treatment to the director. The agency has not corresponded about this issue with Rep. Justin Humphrey.
The weapon was secured and checked even though this did not occur at a facility. Per policy, we may drug test if there is reasonable suspicion of intoxication. There was none in this case.
Brandon Clabes has had 42 years in law enforcement in Oklahoma. He was the Midwest City Police Chief for 22 years and the former director of CLEET and is the current ABLE Commission director.
He weighed in on the topic and sent the following statement to KFOR:
Accidental discharges occur often in law enforcement, many of them are not self reported. You have to evaluate each situation on its own merit to see what occurred and then based on that, take the next appropriate steps or action necessary. Sometimes it is an equipment malfunction and an armorer should ensure the weapon is safe. In this case, I would not anticipate disciplinary action taken, only additional training and focus on gun safety if warranted.
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