An act relating to counties and county officers, the official text

1                   STATE OF OKLAHOMA

2   1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)

3 HOUSE BILL 1414               By: West (Josh)

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6                               AS INTRODUCED

7   An Act relating to counties and county officers;

    amending 19 O.S. 2021, Section 510, which relates to

8   qualifications for county sheriff; permitting

    military police service to meet experience

9   requirement; requiring certain document be presented

    when filing; and providing an effective date.

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12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

13  SECTION 1.      AMENDATORY  19 O.S. 2021, Section 510, is

14 amended to read as follows:

15  Section 510. A. Any person, otherwise qualified, who has been

16 a resident of the State of Oklahoma for two (2) years, has been a

17 registered voter of the party whose nomination he or she seeks, or a

18 registered Independent, within the county from which such person

19 seeks election for the six (6) months next preceding the first day

20 of the filing period, is at least twenty-five (25) years of age next

21 preceding the date of filing for office, possesses at least a high

22 school education and has served as a duly certified peace officer,

23 in a full-time capacity, for a period of four (4) years or more

24 prior to the date of filing for the office of county sheriff, shall

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1 be eligible to hold the office of county sheriff or to file

2 therefor. Within twelve (12) months of taking office, all newly

3 elected or appointed sheriffs shall complete a sheriff's

4 administrative school which has been developed by the Oklahoma

5 Sheriffs' Association and which has been approved by the Council on

6 Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET). Failure to complete

7 the sheriff's administrative school within the specified period

8 shall preclude the new sheriff from obtaining CLEET certification.

9 New sheriffs with prior CLEET certification, who fail to attend the

10 sheriff's administrative school, shall have their CLEET

11 certification revoked. Provided, however, the provisions of this

12 section relating to qualifications shall not apply to any person

13 serving as a county sheriff or to any person previously serving as

14 county sheriff prior to the adoption of this statute.

15  For purposes of this section, "peace officer" shall mean a full-

16 time duly appointed or elected officer who is paid for working more

17 than twenty-five (25) hours per week and whose duties are to

18 preserve the public peace, protect life and property, prevent crime,

19 serve warrants, and enforce state, federal or military laws and

20 local ordinances of this state or any political subdivision thereof.

21  B. Veterans who have served as military police may count four

22 (4) or more years of service as military police to meet the

23 experience requirement listed in subsection A of this section.

24 Veterans must present a Certificate of Release or Discharge from

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1 Active Duty (DD Form 214) when filing as verification of military

2 police experience.

3   SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.

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5   60-1-10648        MJ  12/26/24

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