Dept. of Public Safety Reopens at Select Locations

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) has announced that it has reopened for services to the public at select locations.

“In accordance with Gov. Kevin Stitt's ‘Open Up and Recover Safely’ plan, we will be bringing employees back to work so we can resume the critical services we provide to Oklahomans,” DPS Commissioner John Scully said. “We will do this in a safe manner that protects the health and lives of our workers and the citizens that visit our offices.”

All employees returning from teleworking will be evaluated and monitored as well as questioned to ensure they have not come in contact with anyone who has shown symptoms of COVID-19. The first order of business will be to thoroughly sanitize work stations.

Select DPS driver license offices will be open to the public by appointment only. To make an appointment, visit www.ok.gov/dps and click on “Online Services.” Every person visiting a DPS facility will be required to wear a face mask that completely covers their nose and mouth and will also have their temperature checked. Guests will have to furnish their own masks. Only people with appointments will be allowed inside the building, and only in a volume that will allow for social distancing in accordance with CDC guidelines. 

Driving tests continue to be suspended and DPS has a target date of May 15 to resume those. While DPS won’t be conducting these tests, anyone with a learner’s permit can contact a Class D commercial driving education school with a DPS-certified designated examiner to take that test.

DPS is in the process of installing acrylic sneeze guards at all driver license facilities as one of many precautions being taken to ensure the health and safety of our employees and guests. Only locations that have this protective equipment will be open to the public beginning May 1. For a list of those locations, visit www.ok.gov/dps. 

DPS will continue to offer renewal of Class D driver licenses and state-issued identification cards online. Visit my.ok.gov to access this service.

All extended expiration dates of Class D driver licenses, state-issued identification cards, handicap parking placards, commercial driver licenses and commercial learner permits will be considered expired after June 30. 

Previous extensions do not apply to invalid driver licenses because of suspension, revocation or denial. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has also pushed back the DPS timeline for issuing REAL ID to Oklahomans. In late March, the Department of Homeland Security delayed the REAL ID enforcement deadline another year, to Oct. 1, 2021, because of the pandemic. DPS was originally set to begin issuing REAL IDs in April but because of the challenges posed by the virus, that date has been delayed. DPS has not been able to get the new work stations across the state and has not been able to train DPS employees and tag agents because of social-distancing guidelines. Employees have still been working diligently on getting REAL ID processes up and running and DPS hopes to be offering this service soon.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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