OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 28, 2026) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond today named Tulsa Police Detective Paula Maker as the 2026 Oklahoma Officer of the Year. Maker was recognized at a ceremony this afternoon in Oklahoma City along with the state’s Regional Officers of the Year and more than 40 nominees.
Drummond said Maker’s service in the Tulsa Police Department’s Child Crisis Unit has been exemplary.
“Detective Maker is an outstanding servant leader and most deserving of this honor,” Drummond said. “She has investigated some of the most difficult crimes imaginable but never wavered in professionalism or compassion.”
For more than a decade, Maker has served with the Tulsa Police Department investigating child homicides, torture, sexual abuse and severe neglect. During the past 18 months, she led a torture and no-body homicide investigation that resulted in multiple life sentences after years of painstaking work, described by prosecutors and the presiding judge as among the most harrowing cases they had encountered.
She has since led additional child torture investigations and a major child sexual abuse case that drew national attention. As the senior detective in her unit, she has mentored six newer detectives and serves on the department’s Peer-2-Peer team supporting fellow officers. Despite the weight of the cases she carries, Detective Maker remains one of the kindest and most approachable people in her department — a steady presence for victims, families and colleagues alike. Maker also was the regional officer of the year for the northeast region of Oklahoma.
Other regional winners recognized for extraordinary public service were:
- Trooper Austin Albrecht, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Northwest Region
- Sergeant John Cruise, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Southwest Region
- Lieutenant Jake Heath, Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police Department, Southeast Region
Regional winners were selected by judging panels of city, county, tribal and state criminal justice professionals.
Investigator Jake Carey from the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office was named the Lethality Assessment Protocol Officer of the Year, recognizing his commitment to domestic violence victim safety and trauma-informed use of the LAP screening tool.
The ceremony also recognized K9 officers for the first time. K9 Dash and Handler Sgt. Michael Moore, of the Oklahoma City Police Department, were recognized as Dash was named the K9 Officer of the Year. K9 Vader and Handler Julia Storey from the Hennessey Police Department also were recognized with Vader receiving the Honorable Mention Award.
Drummond created the Officer of the Year program to recognize and celebrate the best and brightest of Oklahoma’s remarkable federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies.
Watch Detective Maker’s story.
