Formed June 6, 1986 Annual budget $1.2 billion (FY2011) | Employees 9,764 (FY2011) | |
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Headquarters 3600 N Martin Luther King
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Minister responsible Michael C. Thompson, Secretary of Safety and Security Child agencies Oklahoma Department of Public Safety
Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics | ||
The Oklahoma Secretary of Safety and Security is a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The Secretary serves as the chief advisor to the Governor on public safety and criminal justice.
Contents
The second and current Secretary is Michael C. Thompson, who was appointed by Governor Mary Fallin in 2011.
History
The Secretary of Safety and Security was established in 1986 to provide greater oversight and coordination to the public safety and criminal justice activities of the State government. The position was established, along with the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet, by the Executive Branch Reform Act of 1986. The Act directed the Secretary of Safety and Security to advise the Governor on public safety policy and advise the state public safety agencies on new policy as directed by the Governor.
Dual Position
Oklahoma state law always for Cabinet Secretaries to serve concurrently as the head of a State agency in addition to their duties as a Cabinet Secretary. Historically, the Secretary of Safety and Security has also served as the Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. As of 2011, all Secretaries of Safety and Security have served in that dual position.
Responsibilities
The Secretary of Safety and Security is responsible for overseeing State police services, criminal investigations, criminal justice and adult criminal corrections. The Secretary also coordinates the State's justice system by overseeing all state prosecutors and generally maintains public order throughout the State through oversight of all State law enforcement agencies. Homeland security, emergency management and law enforcement training are also overseen by the Secretary.
The Secretary serves ex officio as the Governor's Representative for Highway Safety. As such, the Secretary is responsible for administering all funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the purposes of promoting highway safety.
As of fiscal year 2011, the Secretary of Safety and Security oversees 9,764 full-time employees and has responsibility for an annual budget of $1.2 billion.
Agencies overseen
The Secretary of Safety and Security oversees the following state entities:
Salary
The annual salary of the Secretary of Safety and Security is set by law at $85,000. Despite this law, if the Secretary serves as the head of State agency, the Secretary receives the higher of the two salaries. Since former Secretary Kevin Ward also served as the DPS Commissioner, he received the salary allowed for that position. As of 2010, the annual salary of that position is set at $111,133.