§ 19-547 — Deputizing certain persons - Reserve force deputy sheriffs

- Deputizing municipal police officers under interlocal governmental agreements – Emergency assistance to other jurisdictions. A. The sheriff shall be responsible for the official acts of the undersheriff and deputy sheriffs, and may revoke such appointments at the pleasure of the sheriff; provided, however, for counties with a population of five hundred thousand (500,000) or more persons, according to the latest Federal Decennial Census, with the exception of chief deputies and undersheriffs, all deputy sheriffs and detention officers shall serve a five-year probationary period during which the deputy sheriff or detention officer shall be considered an at-will employee. After the five-year probationary period, such deputy sheriff or detention officer shall not be discharged except for just cause. The sheriff or the undersheriff may in writing depute certain persons to do particular acts. B. Each sheriff may appoint as many reserve force deputy sheriffs as are necessary to preserve the peace and dignity of the county. A current list of each person holding such appointment shall be maintained by the county sheriff and shall be available to the public. Reserve force deputy sheriffs may perform duties which encompass a particular act or a series of acts. The sheriff or a Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training-certified deputy sheriff shall accompany a reserve force deputy sheriff in the performance of all duties assigned to such reserve force deputy sheriff unless such reserve deputy has completed the required two- hundred-forty-hour basic police course. Reserve force deputies may receive compensation for their services. The sheriff may pay reserve force deputies for travel expenses pursuant to the State Travel Reimbursement Act. Such reserve deputy sheriffs shall complete a two-hundred-forty-hour basic police course within six (6) months after they have been commissioned to be paid by the county as an individual reserve deputy. The sheriff may pay for additional training courses attended by reserve force deputies. C. Reserve force deputy sheriffs shall not serve more than one hundred forty (140) hours per calendar month. D. The sheriff or a designee may deputize municipal police officers subject to an interlocal governmental agreement to combine city and county law enforcement efforts and to encourage cooperation between city and county law enforcement officials. Liability for the conduct of any municipal police officers deputized under the terms and conditions of an interlocal governmental agreement shall remain the responsibility of their municipal employer. E. The sheriff may enter into mutual aid agreements pursuant to the Interlocal Cooperation Act, Section 1002 et seq. of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes, to assist or provide law enforcement services to any town, city, and county within this state and the sheriff and deputies shall have law enforcement authority within the jurisdiction making the request. The employing governmental unit shall remain responsible for their officers or deputies pursuant to any mutual aid agreement. F. A sheriff of the county may respond to any request from any other jurisdiction within the state for law enforcement assistance in cases of emergency. The sheriff, deputy sheriffs and reserve deputy sheriffs serving in response to the emergency request shall have the same powers and duties as though employed by the requesting law enforcement agency, and when so acting they shall be deemed to be acting within the scope of employment of the requesting law enforcement agency. Salaries, insurance and other benefits shall be provided in the regular manner by the county in which the sheriff, deputy sheriffs and reserve deputy sheriffs are regularly employed. As used in this subsection, “emergency” means a sudden and unforeseeable occurrence or condition, either as to its onset or its extent, of such severity or magnitude that immediate response or action is necessary to assist law enforcement agencies having jurisdiction at the scene of the emergency to carry out their functions. G. A reserve force deputy sheriff shall be authorized to serve civil process pursuant to Section 2004 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes. H. The sheriff may contract with a private security firm that meets the requirements set forth in Sections 1750.1 through 1750.14 of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes to guard any detainee or prisoner temporarily housed for treatment in a medical facility outside the confines of the jail. No private security firm may transport a prisoner to or from an outside medical facility. Transportation of a prisoner is only to be conducted by the sheriff or deputy sheriff.

Legislative History

R.L.1910, § 1695. Amended by Laws 1979, c. 221, § 13, emerg. eff. May 30, 1979; Laws 1981, c. 72, § 1; Laws 1992, c. 285, § 3, emerg. eff. May 25, 1992; Laws 1996, c. 109, § 4, eff. Nov. 1, 1996; Laws 1999, c. 48, § 1, emerg. eff. April 5, 1999; Laws 2000, c. 57, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2000; Laws 2001, c. 324, § 1, eff. July 1, 2001; Laws 2008, c. 366, § 1, emerg. eff. June 3, 2008; Laws 2010, c. 78, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2010; Laws 2010, c. 125, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2010; Laws 2011, c. 21, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2011; Laws 2017, c. 38, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2017; Laws 2024, c. 325, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2024.