1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
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3 SENATE BILL 1668 By: Haste
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to sheriffs, undersheriffs, and
7 deputies; amending 19 O.S. 2021, Section 547, which
8 relates to sheriffs, undersheriffs, and deputies;
8 enabling sheriffs to contract for the guarding of
9 prisoners in need of outside medical care; updating
9 statutory language; and providing an effective date.
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12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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13 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 19 O.S. 2021, Section 547, is
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14 amended to read as follows:
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15 Section 547. A. The sheriff shall be responsible for the
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16 official acts of the undersheriff and deputy sheriffs, and may
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17 revoke such appointments at the pleasure of the sheriff; provided,
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18 however, for counties with a population of five hundred thousand
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19 (500,000) or more persons, according to the latest Federal Decennial
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20 Census, with the exception of chief deputies and undersheriffs, all
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21 deputy sheriffs and detention officers shall serve a five-year
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22 probationary period during which the deputy sheriff or detention
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23 officer shall be considered an at-will employee. After the five-
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24 year probationary period, such deputy sheriff or detention officer
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 1 shall not be discharged except for just cause. The sheriff or the
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2 undersheriff may in writing depute certain persons to do particular
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3 acts.
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4 B. Each sheriff may appoint as many reserve force deputy
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5 sheriffs as are necessary to preserve the peace and dignity of the
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6 county. A current list of each person holding such appointment
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7 shall be maintained by the county sheriff and shall be available to
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8 the public. Reserve force deputy sheriffs may perform duties which
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9 encompass a particular act or a series of acts. The sheriff or a
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10 CLEET-certified Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training-
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11 certified deputy sheriff shall accompany a reserve force deputy
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12 sheriff in the performance of all duties assigned to such reserve
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13 force deputy sheriff unless such reserve deputy has completed the
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14 required two-hundred-forty-hour basic police course. Reserve force
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15 deputies may receive compensation for their services. The sheriff
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16 may pay reserve force deputies for travel expenses pursuant to the
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17 State Travel Reimbursement Act. Such reserve deputy sheriffs shall
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18 complete a two-hundred-forty-hour basic police course within six (6)
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19 months after they have been commissioned to be paid by the county as
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20 an individual reserve deputy. The sheriff may pay for additional
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21 training courses attended by reserve force deputies.
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22 C. Reserve force deputy sheriffs shall not serve more than one
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23 hundred forty (140) hours per calendar month.
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 1 D. The sheriff or a designee may deputize municipal police
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2 officers subject to an interlocal governmental agreement to combine
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3 city and county law enforcement efforts and to encourage cooperation
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4 between city and county law enforcement officials. Liability for
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5 the conduct of any municipal police officers deputized under the
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6 terms and conditions of an interlocal governmental agreement shall
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7 remain the responsibility of their municipal employer.
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8 E. The sheriff may enter into mutual aid agreements pursuant to
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9 the Interlocal Cooperation Act, Section 1002 et seq. of Title 74 of
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10 the Oklahoma Statutes, to assist or provide law enforcement services
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11 to any town, city, and county within this state and the sheriff and
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12 deputies shall have law enforcement authority within the
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13 jurisdiction making the request. The employing governmental unit
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14 shall remain responsible for their officers or deputies pursuant to
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15 any mutual aid agreement.
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16 F. A sheriff of the county may respond to any request from any
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17 other jurisdiction within the state for law enforcement assistance
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18 in cases of emergency. The sheriff, deputy sheriffs and reserve
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19 deputy sheriffs serving in response to the emergency request shall
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20 have the same powers and duties as though employed by the requesting
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21 law enforcement agency, and when so acting they shall be deemed to
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22 be acting within the scope of employment of the requesting law
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23 enforcement agency. Salaries, insurance and other benefits shall be
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24 provided in the regular manner by the county in which the sheriff,
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 1 deputy sheriffs and reserve deputy sheriffs are regularly employed.
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2 As used in this subsection, “emergency” means a sudden and
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3 unforeseeable occurrence or condition, either as to its onset or its
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4 extent, of such severity or magnitude that immediate response or
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5 action is necessary to assist law enforcement agencies having
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6 jurisdiction at the scene of the emergency to carry out their
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7 functions.
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8 G. A reserve force deputy sheriff shall be authorized to serve
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9 civil process pursuant to Section 2004 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma
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10 Statutes.
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11 H. The sheriff may contract with a private security firm that
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12 meets the requirements set forth in Sections 1750.1 through 1750.14
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13 of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes to guard any detainee or
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14 prisoner temporarily housed for treatment in a medical facility
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15 outside the confines of the jail.
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16 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2024.
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18 59-2-2340 MSBB 1/16/2024 1:37:58 PM
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