 Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Seal | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1925 |
| Headquarters | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Employees | 350 total employees 99 commissioned agents |
| Annual budget | $42.9 million |
| Minister responsible |
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| Agency executives |
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| Website | Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation |
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) is an independent state law enforcement agency of the government of Oklahoma. The OSBI assists the county sheriff offices and city police departments of the state, and is the primary investigative agency of the state government. OSBI works independent of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety to investigate criminal law violations within the state at the request of statutory authorized requesters. The OSBI was created in 1925 during the term of Governor Martin E. Trapp.
The OSBI is governed by a seven-member commission, with each member of the commission appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma. The commission then appoints a director, who serves at the pleasure of the commission, as the chief executive officer of the OSBI. The current director is Aungela Spurlock and was appointed to serve as Director on September 1, 2022.
In the early 1920s gangs of outlaws roamed the state robbing and burglarizing banks and terrorizing the citizens of many Oklahoma towns. These gangsters often escaped lawmen by fleeing across county lines. The United States Marshals Service was the only law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction, but its officers were outnumbered by the bandits.
In 1925, Governor of Oklahoma Martin E. Trapp, in his State of the State address recommended the creation of an agency of special investigators or state police to combat the outlaws. The Oklahoma Legislature appropriated $78,000 to establish the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. A year after its creation, the Bureau's three agents or operatives were credited with reducing the number of bank robberies in the state by roughly 75 percent. Agents accomplished this by developing leads and using informants which were considered by many to be innovative investigative techniques at the time.
In 1939, the Bureau was taken out from under the direction of the Adjutant General's Office and became a division of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. It was during these years that the agency became known as the State Crime Bureau. This arrangement lasted until 1957, when the Bureau was placed under the direct control of the Governor's Office and renamed the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Also in 1957, the OSBI began to emerge as a professional law enforcement agency.
In the wake of a controversial investigation of Governor David Hall by the Bureau, the agency was removed from the direct control of the Governor's Office. In 1976, a seven-member independent commission was created to oversee the activities of the OSBI. The makeup of the Commission includes: one police chief, one sheriff, one district attorney and four lay members. These members are appointed by the Governor and approved by the Oklahoma Senate to serve seven year staggered terms. In general, the OSBI Commission appoints the Director, hears complaints, establishes guidelines and serves as a buffer between the Bureau and potential political pressures concerning any particular investigations.
For almost one hundred years, the OSBI has been utilizing innovative techniques and expertise to solve the most serious crimes in Oklahoma. Supporting investigations across the state of Oklahoma, the OSBI's forensic lab was established in 1953. Continually enhancing the science and technology available for evidence testing, the OSBI achieved accreditation for the laboratory system in 2001. The OSBI maintains the tradition of serving the citizens of Oklahoma as the state's premier law enforcement agency.
On September 11, 2002, the OSBI was recognized as the first Oklahoma state law enforcement agency to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
On July 1, 2009, OSBI assumed the research functions of the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center and the Oklahoma Sentencing Commission, which were dissolved at that time. OSBI is now officially recognized by the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics as the State Analysis Center.
The OSBI is responsible for serving as the lead scientific agency for the Oklahoma law enforcement community. The Oklahoma Legislature has directed OSBI to maintain a nationally accredited scientific laboratory to assist all law enforcement agencies in the discovery and detection of criminal activity. As such, OSBI operates the State Forensic Science Center in Edmond and regional Forensic Laboratories/Facilities across the State. OSBI also maintains a Statewide identification system which includes fingerprints, criminal history records, juvenile identification records, and DNA profiles.[1]
OSBI also serves as the leading criminal investigation agency in the State. OSBI Agents partner with other state, county, and local law enforcement agencies to detect crime. OSBI provides assistance to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner, all district attorneys, local sheriff's office, and municipal police departments when assistance is requested. It is the duty of the OSBI to investigate and detect any and all criminal activity when so directed by the Governor of Oklahoma. Typical crimes investigated by OSBI at the request of other agencies are Part 1 Crimes: aggravated assault, forcible rape, murder, robbery, arson, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft.
The OSBI has original jurisdiction over, and may on its own initiative investigate, the following crimes:
For any crime that OSBI does not have original jurisdiction over, a requesting agency must seek OSBI assistance in order for OSBI to investigate the crime. There are only a limited number of agencies or officials that can request the OSBI to conduct an investigation. They are:[2]
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Safety and Security. The OSBI Director, who is appointed by the OSBI Commission, has direct control over the OSBI. Under Governor of Oklahoma Kevin Stitt, Tricia Everest is serving as the Secretary and Aungela Spurlock is serving as OSBI Director.
OSBI is governed by a seven-member OSBI Commission, with all members being appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma, with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve seven year terms. Governor may remove any member at any time only for cause. No more than two members of the Commission may reside in the same congressional district. Four members must be ordinary citizens, one must be a sitting district attorney, one must be a sitting county sheriff, and one must be a sitting chief of police.[3]
As of 2023, the current members of the OSBI Commission are:
| Title | Description | Comparative OHP rank |
|---|---|---|
| Director | Appointed by OSBI Commission to be the professional head of the OSBI. | OHP Colonel |
| Deputy & Division Director | The deputy director is appointed by OSBI Director to serve as second-in-command of the OSBI. The Division Directors of the Investigative, Forensic Science, Support Services, and Information Services are also appointed by the Director. All Serve at the Lt. Colonel level. | OHP Lt. Colonel |
| Special Agent in Charge/Captain | Responsible for directing Regional Offices or a Specialized Unit | OHP Captain |
| Assistant Special Agent in Charge/Lieutenant | Responsible for directing investigations within a Regional Office or Specialized Unit. This is the first level of supervisor | OHP Lieutenant |
| Special Agent III; Criminalist III | Responsible for leading broad, complex and highly specialized investigations or as a resident agent and does not supervise, badges have "Special Agent" inscribed | OHP Trooper (SGT. Level) |
| Agent II; Criminalist II | Responsible for leading investigations and assisting lower level Agents in the performance of their duties badges have "Agent" inscribed | OHP Trooper Mid-Grade |
| Agent I; Criminalist I | Responsible for field investigative operations or specialized or technical law enforcement function badges have "Agent" inscribed | OHP Trooper 3yr |
The Operational Section of the OSBI is organized as follows:
The OSBI Investigative Services Division is home to the Criminal Intelligence Unit which provides investigative support to the division, as well as home to the Oklahoma State Clearinghouse for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The Division is divided into six regional investigative offices with geographic based jurisdiction and five headquarters investigative units with functional based authority and State-wide jurisdiction:
Regional Investigative Units
Headquarters Units
Created in 1953, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation's Criminalistics Services Division (CSD) provides services out of two laboratories and three evidence receiving facilities throughout the State with the following services offered: Latent Evidence, Firearms & Toolmarks, Forensic Biology (including CODIS), Trace Evidence, Controlled Substances, and Forensic Toxicology. The laboratories and facilities are:
The central business office of OSBI. This section has responsibility for supporting the Director by providing budgeting, procurement and facilities management, human resources, IT services, Information Services, and Professional Standards and Training to the entire Bureau. The Support Services section is organized as follows:
The Accounting and Budget Section is responsible for planning and managing the finances of the agency.
The Procurement and Facilities Section is responsible for purchasing supplies and equipment, establishing and managing contracts, and managing owned and leased facilities. Procurement receives delegated authority for procurement per Title 74 Section 85.3H (Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act) from the Office of Management and Enterprises Services State Purchasing Director.
The Human Resources Section is responsible for all aspects of personnel management, keeping agency management and employees informed of new developments and techniques, researching and preparing human resource policy and procedure.
The Office of Professional Standards (OPS) ensures the integrity of OSBI personnel and operations. This is done through the oversight of internal investigations, maintenance and security of complaint and investigative records, research and development of agency policies and procedures, and functional reviews of operating units.
The Training Office coordinates all training for the OSBI. This includes employee attendance at external training events, coordination and development of in-house training courses and events, and maintaining records related to training received and conducted by OSBI personnel. The Training Coordinator evaluates training programs and assists in the development and evaluation of agency training needs. The Training Coordinator is the liaison between the OSBI and CLEET for the purposes of compliance for all commissioned officers employed by the OSBI. It is the responsibility of the Training Office to provide, coordinate, and/or locate training to assist employees in meeting minimum training requirements for supervisory roles as well as commissioned status. The Training Office is the central repository for all agency training conducted by employees and for accreditation of in-house courses.
Created in 1991, the Information Services Division was created as the fourth division within the OSBI and is under operational control of a Division Director who is responsible for the coordination of all division programs. Its purpose is to handle the increased demand for information by law enforcement agencies across the state as well as the public.
This division is the central repository for all criminal records in Oklahoma and is responsible for collecting data ranging from statewide crime statistics to information for criminal history checks.
The division is divided into two sections and is organized as follows:
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, is one of the larger employers of the State.
| Division | Number of Employees |
|---|---|
| Administration | 11 |
| Investigative Services | 123 |
| Criminalistics Services | 111 |
| Information Services | 81 |
| Support Services | 24 |
| Total | 350 |
Per Title 74 O.S. Section 150.8A: In order to be employed as a Law Enforcement Special Agent, an individual must, at the time of employment, “shall be at least twenty-one (21) years of age and shall possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university" and two years of law enforcement experience with a governmental law enforcement agency and must be a certified CLEET peace officer or possess a certification by reciprocity agreement from another state.
As established by Oklahoma law, the annual salaries for OSBI law enforcement agents are as follows:[4]
| RANK | STARTING | 5 YRS IN GRADE | 10 YRS IN GRADE | 15 YRS IN GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGENT I | $68,122.50 | |||
| AGENT II | $80,080.00 | |||
| AGENT III | $93,587.00 | $96,394.61 | $99,286.45 | $102,265.05 |
| AGENT IV (Lieutenant) | $103,303.25 | $105,781.00 | $108,954.43 | $112,223.06 |
| AGENT V (Captain) | $113,317.10 | $116,091.30 | $119,574.04 | $123,161.26 |
| AGENT VI (Major) | $149,370.00 |
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation's budget is generated primarily by annual appropriations from the Oklahoma Legislature.[5] Annual appropriations make up 43% ($27.4 million), 39% generated from the fees charged by the Bureau ($24.4 million), and the remaining 18% ($11.7 million) coming from various other sources.
The majority of OSBI's budget (64% or $40.8 million) is spent on employee benefits and salaries, 32% ($20.2 million) goes to operating expenses and the remaining 4% ($2.5 million) is dedicated to various other expenses.
For fiscal year 2023, each of the operating units of the Bureau operate with the following budgets:
| Division | Funding (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Administration Division | $3.9 |
| Investigative Services Division | $22.6 |
| Criminalistics Services Division | $22.5 |
| Information Services Division | $6.6 |
| IT Services | $7.9 |
| Total | $63.5 |
Since the establishment of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, 4 officers have died in the line of duty.[6]
| Officer | Date of Death | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Luther Bishop | Sunday, December 5, 1926
|
Gunfire |
| Agent Crockett Long | Monday, July 18, 1932
|
Gunfire |
| Agent Clifford W. Roberts | Tuesday, March 14, 1967
|
Struck by train |
| Agent Chester W. Stone | Wednesday, March 11, 1981
|
Heart attack |
