The application period for the 64th Academy will begin January 1, 2015 and last until June 30, 2015. Please click the image below to contact an OHP recruiter.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Department of Public Safety officials announce the graduation of the 62nd Oklahoma Highway Patrol Academy.

Graduation and commissioning ceremonies for thirty-three new Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troopers will be held Friday, June 13, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. at the Memorial Road Church of Christ located at 2221 E. Memorial Road in Edmond.

"We congratulate all of these new troopers on their hard work and dedication," said DPS Commissioner Michael C. Thompson.

OHP Chief, Colonel Ricky Adams said, "These young men have shown that they have what it takes to earn the title Oklahoma State Trooper, and we welcome them to our family."

The next phase of training for the graduates of the 62nd OHP Academy will consist of three months of field training with a senior trooper.

The thirty-three cadets come to the Patrol from all over the state with a variety of work experiences. Their ages range from 23 to 37.

Commissioner Thompson challenged the graduating class to uphold the traditions and proud legacy of Troopers who have served Oklahoma since 1937.

Applications for the 63rd Oklahoma Highway Patrol Academy are currently being accepted until June 30, 2014 at www.jointheohp.com

Colonel Ricky Adams assumed the duties as the 26th Chief of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol on November 1, 2013. Prior to this assignment, he served 31 months as the Assistant Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. Adams has been in the Law Enforcement profession for over 34 years beginning his career at the municipal level serving with the Elk City and Edmond Police Departments from 1980-1986, before joining the ranks of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

He is a 1986 honor graduate of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol's 42nd Academy. He began as a field Trooper assigned to Troop A (Logan County) and has risen through the ranks serving at every level within the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. His distinguished 28 year career with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol has been hallmarked by stellar leadership at every level within the organization. Adams also attended the 204th Session of the FBI National Academy in 2001. He is credited with a major role in the establishment of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s Criminal Interdiction program, along with modernizing the statewide DPS facility and information technology infrastructure. Adams was one of the first responders to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and has commanded operations during many of Oklahoma’s natural disasters.

Commissioner Thompson said, "Ricky Adams is a proven and capable leader and is dedicated to leading the Oklahoma Highway Patrol with the highest degree of integrity." Prior to this assignment, Adams served as the Assistant Commissioner of DPS for the past 31 months and has held every rank within the Patrol. "I am very excited for the future of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol," said Thompson.

Notably, US Army Major General (Retired) Ricky Adams is a combat veteran who recently retired after 35 years of Army service. In previous assignments, he served as the Deputy Commanding General National Guard, US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Fort Eustis, Virginia, Assistant Adjutant General-Army, Oklahoma National Guard, Deputy Commanding General- Army National Guard, Field Artillery Center, Fort Sill, Director, Police Reform Directorate, Kabul, Afghanistan, Deputy Assistant Commandant, United States Army Field Artillery School and Commander of the 45th Field Artillery Brigade and 171st Field Artillery Battalion MLRS. He has received the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit twice and the Bronze Star Medals to name a few and was inducted into the Oklahoma National Guard’s Officer Candidate School (OCS) Hall of Fame in 2014.

Adams holds a Master's of Strategic Studies Degree from the US Army War College and a Bachelor from the University of Central Oklahoma. He is also a graduate of the CAPSTONE Program at the National Defense University, National Security Management Course at Syracuse University, the Army Strategic Leadership Advanced Courses, JTF Commander Course, Joint Flag Officer War Fighting School, Harvard University's Black Sea Security Program and General & Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar, to name a few.

Chief Adams said "It is a great honor to have been asked to serve as the 26th Chief of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. The respect and traditions of our agency has been earned and maintained by the selfless dedication to duty of our members, both past and present. I pledge to be a good steward of that tradition and ensure that our path is firmly grounded in our Core Mission and Values as we move into this 21st century" .

Adams resides in Edmond Oklahoma and is married to Cathy and has two daughters and four grandchildren.