The Oklahoma Highway Patrol began assisting motorists and enforcing motor vehicle laws in the summer of 1937 and has continued doing so, even as the mission of the agency has expanded into drug interdiction, human trafficking and other criminal activities. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol maintained height and weight requirements for potential patrolmen well into the 1960s, but with the advent of federal requirements such as the Equal Opportunity Act and the National Highway Safety Act, those requirements were negated, opening the door for women to apply.

Prior to federal acts addressing discrimination based on gender, many police agencies in the United States did not have women patrol officers. Women in law enforcement were often limited to jail matron duties, secretarial work, and as enforcers of the moral standards of the day. They were seldom issued uniforms, cruisers, or firearms, and did not receive the same training as the men in their agencies. However, this changed in the 1970s when federal assistance for police agencies was contingent on adherence to new equal opportunity legislation.

The first women went on patrol as Oklahoma State Troopers in 1978. Held to the same strict and grueling standard as the men who applied, the women of OHP are demonstrate a dedication to their calling and determination, which sets them apart as the elite among law enforcement. The following pages contain some of their individual stories in an effort to preserve the history and contributions of these extraordinary women.