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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
HOUSE
RESOLUTION 1018 By: Turner
AS INTRODUCED
A Resolution recognizing the Oklahoma State Bureau of
Investigation as the premier law enforcement
investigative agency of the sta te and for its service
to the citizens of Oklahoma .
WHEREAS, in 1924, Deputy United States Marshal Bill Tilghman was
shot in the line of duty, and in 1925, Governor M artin Edwin Trapp
recommended the creation of an agency of special investigator s to
combat outlaws within the state, ultimately fulfilling the concept
that Deputy United States Marshal Bill Tilghman had put forth in
prior years; and
WHEREAS, the State Bureau of Criminal Identification and
Investigation, now known as the Oklahoma Stat e Bureau of
Investigation, was created on March 28, 1925. The Oklahoma
Legislature appropriated Seventy-eight Thousand Dollars ( $78,000.00)
to the State Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation in
its first year; and
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WHEREAS, one year after its creation, the State Bureau of
Criminal Identification and Investigation was credited with reducing
the number of bank robberies in the state by seventy-five percent
(75%). Agents accomplished this impressive feat by developing leads
while using informant s. The use of informants was an investigative
technique considered innovative by many experts across the nation.
These early years established the State Bureau of Criminal
Identification and Investigation as the premier investigative law
enforcement agency in Oklahoma, a foundation that has stood the test
of time for a century ; and
WHEREAS, in 1939, the State Bureau of Criminal Identification
and Investigation became a division of the Department of Public
Safety and was renamed the State Crime Bureau. This arrangement
lasted until 1957, when it was placed under the direct control of
the Office of the Governor and renamed the Oklahoma State Bureau of
Investigation (OSBI) ; and
WHEREAS, the OSBI remained under the direct control of the
Governor until 1976, when state leaders sought ways to reduce
political pressures due to the OSBI being ta sked with numerous
political investigations. The Oklahoma Legislature created a seven-
member, independent commission to oversee the activities of the
OSBI; and
WHEREAS, a unique aspect of the OSBI is it s limited
jurisdiction. This keeps the OSBI from launching its own
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investigations without a lawful request. With a few exceptions in
which the OSBI does have original jurisdiction, most investigations
are initiated at the r equest of another law enforcement agency or a
governmental entity. The OSBI has original jurisdiction in the
following areas: vehicle theft, oil field theft, threats against
public officials, violations of the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act,
and violent crimes committed on the turnpikes of the state; and
WHEREAS, created in 1953, the Criminalistics Services Division
of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation provides a multitude
of forensic science services to law enforcement agencies operating
within Oklahoma. The Criminalistics Services Division provides
services out of two strategic ally located laboratories throughout
the state, with locations in Tahlequah and Edmond. In addition,
forensic evidence can be submitted at facilities in McAlester,
Lawton, and Woodward; and
WHEREAS, the Forensic Science Center (FSC) in Edmond, a state -
of-the-art, eighty-thousand-square-foot facility, was completed in
May of 2008. The location of the FSC allows the OSBI to partner
with professors and students in the Forensi c Science program at the
University of Central Oklahoma. This partnership creates
opportunities for continued training of our scientists by members of
academia, education of students by our forensic professionals, and
internships for students ; and
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WHEREAS, the OSBI is also the central repository for all
criminal records in Oklahoma and is responsible for collecting data
ranging from statewide crime statistics to information for criminal
history checks. From processing state and national criminal record
check requests, to producing statistical publications, to issuing
licenses under the O klahoma Self-Defense Act, the OSBI helps
protect, inform, and support the public and law enforcement .
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 60TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:
THAT for one hundred (100) years, the OSBI has been utilizing
creative and innovative investigative techniques and, with the
expertise of experienced agents , solved the most serious crimes in
Oklahoma.
THAT with respect to technology and scientific capabilities, the
OSBI leverages cutting -edge investigative techniques including , but
not limited to, digital and video forensics, Rapid DNA analysis,
drones, forensic genetic genealogy, advanced latent evidence metho ds
such as vacuum metal deposition and RECOVER, 3D crime scene
scanning, and the FastTRAX NIBIN investigative lead program for
ballistic comparisons, to carry on the tradition of proudly serving
the citizens of Oklahoma as the premier law enforcement
investigative agency of the state.
60-1-13355 GRS 03/25/25