A. The Director shall appoint as employees only persons of outstanding honesty, integrity and ability. An agent, at the time of appointment to the Bureau, shall be at least twenty-one (21) years of age and shall possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

B. The officers and agents of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and such other employees as the Director of the Bureau of Investigation shall designate to perform duties in the investigation and prevention of crime and the enforcement of the criminal laws of the state, shall have and exercise all the powers and authority of peace officers, including the right and power of search and seizure.

C. Any Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation employee promoted, voluntarily demoted or transferred into an agent or criminalist position within the Bureau shall serve a twelve-month trial period. Any state employee in a classified position with an agency other than the Bureau who is selected for an agent or criminalist position within the Bureau shall resign his or her position and be reinstated in accordance with the merit rules.

D. Any employee in a classified position under the Merit System of Personnel Administration who is appointed Director, Deputy Director, Acting Director, Acting Deputy Director, or Assistant Director shall have a right to return to the classified service without any loss of rights, privileges or benefits immediately upon completion of the duties of the employee provided the employee is not otherwise disqualified.

E. All other employees of the State Bureau of Investigation shall be in the classified service of the state and members of the Merit System of Personnel Administration, unless otherwise provided by law.

F. Appointment to any position in the State Bureau of Investigation shall not jeopardize the rights of any person under any other system under which peace officers of this state or its subdivisions may become pensioned, provided that the individual contributions are continued as if such person were in the original organization within which the person qualified for such pension.

Added by Laws 1976, c. 259, § 8, operative July 1, 1976. Amended by Laws 1977, c. 132, § 1, emerg. eff. June 3, 1977; Laws 1981, c. 340, § 23, emerg. eff. June 30, 1981; Laws 1982, c. 64, § 2, emerg. eff. March 30, 1982; Laws 1984, c. 240, § 7, operative July 1, 1984; Laws 1989, c. 369, § 146, operative July 1, 1989; Laws 1996, c. 153, § 2, emerg. eff. May 7, 1996; Laws 1998, c. 388, § 1, eff. July 1, 1998; Laws 2001, c. 236, § 1, eff. July 1, 2001; Laws 2002, c. 347, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2002; Laws 2012, c. 153, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2012.