Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation | |
 Great Seal of Oklahoma |
|
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1925 |
| Headquarters | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Employees | 280 classified 27 unclassified, |
| Annual Budget | $14.9 million |
| Ministers Responsible | Kevin Ward, Secretary of Safety and Security Ted Farriss, Chair of OSBI Commission |
| Agency Executives | A. DeWade Langley, Director Thomas D. Jordan, Deputy Director |
| Website | |
| www.ok.gov/osbi | |
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) is a state law enforcement agency of the Government of Oklahoma. The OSBI assists the state's police departments and courts and is the primary investigative arm of Oklahoma.
The OSBI is overseen by a seven member Commission, with each Commissioner appoint by the Governor of Oklahoma. The OSBI is administered by the Director of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The current Director is A. DeWade Langley, who was appointed by the Commission in 1995.
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[edit] History
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. Employees were placed under the merit system and for the first time, working for the agency was seen as a career opportunity rather than temporary employment.
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.
There are only seven agencies or entities that can request the OSBI to conduct an investigation. They include: Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, District Attorneys, the Attorney General, the Governor, Council on Judicial Complaints and any legislative committee with subpoena power. The OSBI has original jurisdiction in following areas: auto theft, oil field theft, threats against public officials, computer crimes and violent crimes on Oklahoma turnpikes.
On September 11, 2002, the OSBI was recognized as the first Oklahoma state law enforcement agency to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement.
[edit] Divisions
[edit] Investigative Division
The primary duty of the OSBI Investigative Division is to assist local law enforcement agencies in solving crimes. OSBI agents offer a number of services including collecting and preserving evidence at crime scenes, participating in undercover investigations to obtain information and evidence, interviewing witnesses and apprehending criminals. Agents investigate many types of crime, including but not limited to: political corruption, oil field theft, auto theft, homicide, official misconduct, rape, and other white collar crimes. The Bureau has agents who are pilots, polygraph experts, forensic computer experts, and others with special skills which provide many avenues to solve and prevent crime. Specially trained Crime Scene Agents are located statewide, ready at all times to collect and preserve evidence from crime scenes.
The OSBI Investigative Division is home to the Crime Analysis 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.
[edit] Information Services Division
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation partners with local, state and federal law enforcement in the State of Oklahoma on many levels. The OSBI works with law enforcement agencies across the state to share, collect, and offer computer and Internet based programs that will permit the efficient use of crime fighting programs.
[edit] Criminalistics Division
Since its creation in 1953, the OSBI Criminalistic Services Division has been responsible for providing forensic laboratory services to Oklahoma law enforcement. The Criminalistic Services Division provides forensic analysis in the following areas:
- Serology
- Trace evidence
- Marihuana/drugs
- Toxicology
- Latent prints
- DNA
- Firearms and toolmarks
- Questioned documents
