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

§ 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 twohundred-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.

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 19. Counties and County Officers

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.

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.