SAPULPA —Creek County is receiving $300,000 through a state grant program aimed at strengthening sheriff’s offices across Oklahoma.
The money comes from the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Office Funding Assistance Grant Program, created by House Bill 2914 and administered through the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office. The program provides grants to all 77 Oklahoma counties, with award amounts ranging from $150,000 to $300,000 based on each county’s total tangible property valuation.
Creek County was listed among the counties receiving the maximum $300,000 award.
The money is intended for lawful sheriff’s office operations. Under program rules, counties may use the funding for needs such as training, technology, equipment, vehicles, computers, body cameras, capital improvements, public safety education, jail mental health services, materials, supplies and uniforms. The grant money may not be used for salary, though onetime stipends and bonuses are allowed.
The Creek County Sheriff’s Office is led by Sheriff Bret Bowling and operates from Sapulpa. The office includes patrol, communications, investigations, civil, courthouse security, K-9, support services, detention and juvenile detention divisions.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced Monday that every county sheriff’s office in the state had been awarded funding through the program. He said the grants are intended to give sheriff’s offices additional resources to serve their communities, particularly in areas where law enforcement agencies are stretched thin.
The state announcement did not include a specific Creek County spending plan for the $300,000 award. Any use of the money must comply with the state grant rules, and the Attorney General’s Office requires semiannual reporting on grant expenditures.
The program is designed to supplement sheriff’s office funding, not replace existing county support. State rules say counties may not reduce or supplant existing funding because of the grant award.
For Creek County, the grant represents a one-time infusion of money that can be directed toward equipment, technology, jail operations, training or other eligible needs inside the sheriff’s office.