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2008
Election Updates
We have received several
request to provide election results on the 2008 Sheriff's race.
Click on the link below and you will be redirected to the election
page.
2008 Election
Results
2009
New Sheriffs Academy
The Oklahoma Sheriffs'
Association has set the dates for the 2009 Sheriffs Academy. The 80
hour academy will be held February 2nd thru the 5th and 9th thru the
12th.Location will be at the Oklahoma City Bricktown Hotel and
Convention Center. The academy will consist of four ten hour days
Monday through Thursday over a two week period. All newly elected or
appointed Sheriffs are required to attend the academy per statute
Title 19 Chapter 12 Section 510. We also encourage Undersheriffs and
Chief Deputies to attend the academy as well. In the coming months
once plans are finalized we will post registration forms here on the
website.
August Training Sessions
The OSA has scheduled the first of its regional
training sessions beginning in August. It is the objective of the
OSA to bring a minimum of four hours CLEET and in the case
State Health Department certified training to each of the five
monthly regional meetings. The first session will provide the two
hours of mental health training as required by CLEET on the subject
of "Emergency Detention" instructed by the State Department of
Mental Health and Substance Abuse. The next two hours covers
training on the VINE program. As many of you know VINE is coming
online and when the information is given to the victims it will be
the responsibility of the Sheriffs office to enter and maintain the
information in the system. The training sessions are designed for
Sheriffs, Deputies, Jail Administrators, and Detention Officers. We
encourage you to attend the upcoming training sessions in any of the
regions closest to you, it is not necessary to only attend those in
your designated region. Below is a link to the registration form.
August
Training Session Registration Form
2008 OSA Annual Golf Tournament
The annual golf tournament has been rescheduled
for August 19 at the Choctaw Creek Golf Course which is east of
Midwest City, OK. We invite all law enforcement , corporate sponsors
and vendors to play in the tournament. Below you will find a link to
the registration form, fill it out and fax it to the association.
You will receive a confirmation of your registration along with
directions to the course.
Golf
Registration Form
Policy
Manuals
We have been receiving
numerous request for a policy template to be used in the Sheriff's
office and in the jail. The association recommends using the
exemplary manual provided by the Association of County Commissioner
of Oklahoma. We have attached links below to those manuals.
ACCO Policies & Directives
Complimentary Honorary
Membership
During the board retreat
the association was asked to design a Honorary Membership card that
could be given out by the Sheriff. Those cards are now available.
The association will be handing these cards out during the executive
board meeting and at the regional meetings this month. The cards are
a useful public relations tool during the campaign season along with
providing the association names to solicit for future memberships.
The card provides the recipient a free honorary membership in the
association for the remainder of 2008. The recipient will receive
their membership card, bumper sticker, and window decal once the
card is received by the association. No postage is necessary when
mailing the cards in as they have been designed as postage pre paid.
We encourage all sheriffs to attend the regional meetings this
month, there is a lot of new and exciting information that the
association would like to inform you about. If you have any
questions on this program contact the OSA.
2008 Legislative Second
Session
The second session of the
Oklahoma legislature has come to a close but not without first
addressing major issues concerning the sheriff's and their counties.
It was on the last day of session that many Sheriffs and Deputies
gathered in the Senate gallery to support the passage of HB3336,
after short debate on the floor it was passed unanimously and sent
to the Governor for signature. The night before the last day of
session the legislature passed SB1168. These bills along with SB811
will reduce the burden of inmate medical cost on the sheriffs office
and place it back on the state, inmate or insurance provider.
According to the
fiscal impact study on HB3336 the change to the law in which the DOC
will reimburse direct to the health care and pharmacy providers on
medical treatment of an inmate after receiving the certified
judgment and sentence is a savings of 1.3 million dollars to the
counties. this will go into effect upon the Governors signature. In
July of 2009 the DOC will start reimbursing the sheriff based of the
date the court issued the J & S as opposed to when they
receive the J & S according to the same fiscal impact study
the savings to the counties will be 2 million dollars. There were no
fiscal impact studies done on SB1168 and SB811 because they would
not have a fiscal impact on the state. However just one lawsuit on
preexisting conditions against Oklahoma County
Sheriffs Office resulted in a 2 million dollar judgment.
During this session the
association worked closely with the Oklahoma Hospital Association,
and the Department of Corrections to draft and revise language that
was amicable to all parties and would gain support in both houses of
the legislature. This partnership along with the hard work of
Richard Phillips and Lynn White kept these bills alive and moving
through the legislative process.
The Governor signed
HB336 and SB1168 on May 23rd. HB3336 took effect upon the governors
signature with the exception of the section on the J & S which takes
effect on July 1, 2009. SB1168 takes effect on November 1, 2008 on
any insurance policy written or renewed after January 1, 2009. SB811
takes full effect on July 1, 2008. We also ask that you contact
the authors of this legislation and let them know you appreciate
their support of county law enforcement. the authors of SB811 were
Senator Charlie Laster and Representative Daniel Sullivan, SB1168
Senator Owen Laughlin and Representative Jeffrey Hickman and HB3336
Senator Todd Lamb and Representative Mike Thompson.
Thanks to all of those
sheriffs and their staff who responded to the faxes and emails by
contacting their representatives at the capitol either by phone or
in person. As the association has always said it is no one person
that can accomplish these goals, it takes all of its members.
To read
these bills in their entirety click below
SB811
SB1168
HB3336
Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association Elects
New President
Sheriff John Whetsel
Oklahoma County
On May 12, 2008 during
the Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association Annual Awards Banquet Oklahoma
County Sheriff John Whetsel was sworn in as president of the
Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association (OSA). Nearly 300 people from across
the state were at the event which was held at the Bricktown Hotel
and Convention Center in Oklahoma City. "I am proud to represent
and serve you as president of the Oklahoma Sheriffs Association and
I thank you for your confidence",
said Whetsel who was sworn in by Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner
Jim Roth.
Among Whetsel’s goals
to accomplish while serving as president:
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Training proposals
to include regional CLEET training, expanding the new Sheriff
academy from 40 hours to 80 hours, and secure funding for regional
detention officer academies.
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Creating an OSA past
presidents’ board.
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Dealing with mental
health issues faced by county jails throughout the state.
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Coordinate traffic
safety programs to save lives.
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Continue legislative
efforts to require the state to pay for unfunded mandates.
Sheriff
Whetsel also noted that as president of the Oklahoma Sheriffs
Association a major objective of his will be focusing on ethics and
character of sheriffs. "Over
the past year we have seen the indiscretions of several sheriffs hit
the front page of newspapers and tarnish the badge that each of us
wears", said Sheriff Whetsel. "Within the next few months I will
present an ethics and character component for our organization to
our board. It is important that our citizens understand the
majority of sheriffs are men and women of character with high
ethics".
The
Oklahoma Sheriffs Association is represented by 66 of the states 77
counties with more than 3,500 members.
The
OSA maintains
the Office of the Sheriff through training and education; developing
laws and polices that promote public safety and; providing technical
and informational support to assist the Sheriffs of Oklahoma in
providing effective and quality law enforcement services to the
citizens of the State of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Sheriffs
Association (OSA) is a non-profit association which represents the
elected Sheriffs in all 77 counties in Oklahoma.
2008
Active Members
This year the association
established a new fee structure for its Active Membership. An
increase was necessary to fully fund the OSA mission. We were
extremely pleased with the swift and overwhelming support from the
majority of the sheriffs of Oklahoma This year we have 67 out of 77
counties and 4,000 total members. The credit for this increase
in membership goes to the sheriffs of those counties. This proves
that the sheriffs believe in their association and want to continue
to make is stronger each year.
Once again the association
wants to thank each and everyone of you for your continued support.
NO PHONE CALLS
The Oklahoma Sheriffs'
Association does not utilize telephone solicitors for any
purpose. If you should receive telephone calls soliciting donations for
the Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association they are doing so fraudulently and
the association recommends contacting the Oklahoma Attorney Generals
office to report the phone call. You can report a violation of the
Telemarketer Restriction Act directly to the Attorney Generals website
by clicking the link below or by calling 405-521-3921
http://www.oag.state.ok.us/oagweb.nsf/DoNotCall.html
Support Your
County Sheriff
Show your support of your county Sheriff
by becoming a Honorary or Business member of the Oklahoma Sheriffs'
Association. Click on the links below to view the benefits of becoming a
member.
2008 Honorary Membership
2008 Business Membership
Adobe Reader
All of the documents on the
Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association website are in .pdf formats for
downloading ease. To get your copy of Adobe Reader.
Click Here
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2008