Capt. Ken Jordan of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol was the guest speaker at a recent Kingfisher Lions Club meeting.

Jordan has been commander of Troop J, which includes Kingfisher County, for a little over a year.

“I’ve immersed myself in a lot of the different communities in the last year,” he said. “And it’s good to know the OHP has had a good presence in Kingfisher and Kingfisher County.”

He was joined by part of that presence in Trooper Jeff Jech, a Kingfisher native now living in Hennessey, and retired Lt. Bill Reitz, a Lions Club member who arranged for Jordan to speak.

Reitz was a lieutenant as Jordan worked his way through the ranks.

“He showed me how to be a good lieutenant,” Jordan said. “And he mentored me when I put in for captain. Without Bill, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Troop J also covers Blaine, Garfield, Major, Woods, Alfalfa and Grant counties.

“I want to continue the tradition of Troop J of serving the people,” Jordan said. However, he said, it’s tougher than it used to be.

Jordan said the number of troopers to cover the area used to be in the mid-20s.

Now there are 17 to cover from west of Freedom to Blackwell and the Kansas state line down to County Line Road in Okarche (and even south of I-40 in Blaine County).

Still, he said, the duty is to serve.

“We are immersing ourselves in answering the call,” Jordan said. “We took an oath to serve the people and the guys of Troop J live that.”