An act relating to law enforcement officers, the official text

1                            STATE OF OKLAHOMA

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

3 HOUSE BILL 2723                 By: Ford

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6                            AS INTRODUCED

7   An Act relating to law enforcement officers; stating

    membership requirements for government entities that

8   establish citizen review boards; requiring majority

    vote when making findings or recommendations;

9   providing procedures when membership requirements are

    not met; providing exemptions; stating findings of

10  the Legislature; providing for codification; and

    providing an effective date.

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

14  SECTION 1.      NEW LAW  A new section of law to be codified

15 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 34.6 of Title 22, unless there

16 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:

17  A. When a government entity establishes a citizen review board

18 to investigate an allegation of misconduct by a law enforcement

19 officer, at least two-thirds (2/3) of the committee, board, agency,

20 department, office or entity that makes a recommendation or imposes

21 disciplinary action shall be composed of law enforcement officers

22 certified by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training.

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1   B. Any findings or recommendations from any committee, board,

2 agency, department, office or entity shall require a majority vote

3 to do any of the following:

4   1. Investigate law enforcement officer misconduct;

5   2. Influence the conduct of or certify law enforcement officer

6 misconduct investigations;

7   3. Recommend disciplinary actions for law enforcement officer

8 misconduct; or

9   4. Impose discipline for law enforcement officer misconduct.

10  C. If the person or committee, board, agency, department,

11 office or entity does not meet the two-thirds (2/3) requirement

12 prescribed in subsection A of this section, a supervisor, a

13 department or an agency head that supervises a law enforcement

14 officer may investigate and impose discipline for the law

15 enforcement officer's misconduct if the supervisor, department or

16 agency head acts independently of the person, committee, board,

17 agency, department, office or entity.

18  D. This section shall not apply to any of the following:

19  1. A person or a committee, board, agency, department, office,

20 civil service board or entity that only reviews the actions

21 described in subsection A of this section and does not determine the

22 initial level of discipline or have the authority to increase the

23 severity of the disciplinary action;

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1   2. The Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training

2 (CLEET);

3   3. A multijurisdictional law enforcement agency or task force

4 or a similar entity that is charged with investigating the use of

5 force by law enforcement officers, if at least two-thirds (2/3) of

6 the membership of the multijurisdictional law enforcement agency or

7 task force or the similar entity consists of law enforcement

8 officers who are certified by CLEET;

9   4. An entity that investigates federal employment

10 discrimination; and

11  5. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

12  E. The Legislature finds that setting and maintaining standards

13 of professionalism and integrity of law enforcement officers in this

14 state are of statewide concern.

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

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17  60-1-12185      MAH  01/14/25

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