THE Oklahoma Highway Patrol has 29 new troopers, the result of their completing an academy that should be held every year but which has become anything but an annual occurrence. At some point, the roller coaster needs to stop.

The academy was the OHP's 65th. But the 64th didn't come in 2017 — no academy was held last year due to an 11 percent reduction in funding from the Legislature. Indeed, it appeared highly unlikely the 2018 academy would be held, until the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority said it would pay to cover its costs (and the salaries and benefits for the cadets' first year as troopers).

The turnpike authority contracts with the OHP for troopers who patrol the state's toll roads, paying for their cruisers, fuel and equipment. The two agencies have long enjoyed a solid relationship.

But the assistance shouldn't have been necessary. The Department of Public Safety should be funded in a way that allows it to conduct its academy every year. Instead, even after a bump in the DPS appropriation for next year, there is no guarantee the 66th Patrol Academy will be held in 2019.