FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 30, 2020

Insurance Department Donates Shotguns to Help Underfunded Law Enforcement Agencies

Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready today donated a Remington 870 Shotgun to the Coweta Police Department Chief Mike Bell at the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID)’s Oklahoma City office.

“It is much appreciated more than you know,” Bell said. “As a small agency, we can’t afford equipment like this. It will greatly enhance our services.”

For the last few months, the Oklahoma Insurance Department’s Anti-Fraud Unit has worked with the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) to transfer the shotguns d to other law enforcement agencies in need. These shotguns were ordered by the previous administration for newly hired investigators to attend the police academy. Once those certifications were completed, the Unit no longer needed them.

“We only intend to hire experienced, pre-certified officers from this point on, so we are donating the firearms to other law enforcement agencies in need,” Anti-Fraud Chief Investigator Rick Wagnon said. “Instead of sending these shotguns to State Surplus to be auctioned off to the public, we wanted to get these directly transferred to underfunded law enforcement agencies.”

Once OMES approved the transfer, Wagnon contacted the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police and the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association for a list of underfunded agencies that each association could recommend. From that list, Commissioner Mulready drew the winners randomly and contacted each agency to schedule a shotgun handoff.

Wagnon said they carefully selected small, underfunded agencies that could get the most benefit from this donation. He also said the most of these agencies do not have shotguns and are excited to receive them.

“The goal of this firearm donation is to enable underfunded law enforcement agencies to acquire firearms at no cost in support of their mission,” Mulready said. “We are grateful for our law enforcement agencies and their service to our citizens.”

Mulready said that the department will donate a total of 7 shotguns to the following agencies:

DONATED ITEM(S): Remington 870 Shotguns (Police Magnum), 18″ Barrel, Parkerized Finish, Ghost Rings Sites, Collapsible/Pistol stock, Forearm Flashlight, and Rapid Assault Tactics (RAT) Nylon Carry Case.

If you have questions about other insurance issues, please contact the Oklahoma Insurance Department at 1-800-522-0071 or visit our website at www.oid.ok.gov.

About the Oklahoma Insurance Department
The Oklahoma Insurance Department, an agency of the State of Oklahoma, is responsible for the education and protection of the insurance-buying public and for oversight of the insurance industry in the state.

For more information, contact:
Liz Heigle
405-819-2221
Liz.Heigle@oid.ok.gov