The recent death threat against Congressman MarkWayne Mullin is forcing some to take a closer look at how elected officials are protected.
Mullin isn't the first Oklahoma congressman to receive a death threat. Former congressman John Sullivan received one last summer while he was still in office.
Major Shannon Clark with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office tells KRMG that deputies are usually requested at public events featuring elected officials and deputies make every effort to attend.
Those appearances are part of deputies' regularly assigned patrols and come at no additional cost to taxpayers.
Clark says that several deputies have received specialized training in dignitary protection and are made available to elected officials and other dignitaries that request it.
That extra level of protection comes at a cost that is not in the budget. Each person requesting the additional security is expected to pay for it.