SB 539 Summary

• Designates elected county sheriffs as senior authoritative peace officers with primary duties to keep the peace and protect residents' liberties and security in their counties.

• Prohibits federal employees who are not designated as Oklahoma peace officers from making arrests, searches, or seizures without written permission from the county sheriff or designee, with limited exceptions for federal enclaves, witnessed crimes requiring immediate arrest, sheriff's office employees, and situations involving connections to the sheriff.

• Requires federal employees to obtain written permission from the Oklahoma Attorney General before exercising exceptions involving arrest of elected officials or when probable cause exists that the subject has close connections to the sheriff; permission requests must include subject name, probable cause statement, asset descriptions, date/time, and location.

• Establishes that valid permission must be signed by the sheriff or Attorney General and remains valid for 48 hours; violations constitute kidnapping, trespass, theft, or homicide charges with mandatory prosecution by the district attorney with no discretion to decline.

• Declares pursuant to the Tenth Amendment that any federal law granting federal employees sheriff authority in Oklahoma is rejected and null and void; legislation takes effect immediately upon passage and approval as an emergency measure.