Johnny Blevins, Administrator
Oklahoma City Office
3400 Martin Luther King Avenue
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111-4298
Phone: (405) 425-2571
Fax: (405) 425-2064
Autumn Gwin, Administrative Assistant
Tulsa Office
440 South Houston, Suite 505
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74127
Phone: (918) 295-3207
Fax: (918) 295-3206
Janie Hartzell, Administrative Assistant
Visitor Alert Bulletin (password protected)
Investigations:
The Internal Affairs Investigation Unit is responsible for conducting both procedural and criminal investigations under the authority of the Director. Investigations encompass matters concerning offenders, employees and other identified criminal activity with impacts correctional operations. During calendar year 2010, the Investigation Unit was assigned 194 investigations and 70 preliminary Inquires. The unit completed 282 total investigations presenting 60 cases to the District Attorney of jurisdiction for the filing of criminal charges. As a result of their assignments staff also completed 33 forensic computer audits and 13 polygraphs.
Fugitive Apprehension:
The Fugitive Unit is comprised of agents dedicated to the apprehension of DOC escapees and offenders who have chosen to abscond parole supervision. Agents are also called upon to assist Probation and Parole Officers with the apprehension of offenders with a violent history as well as to assist the US Marshall’s Violent Crime Task Forces. In January 2010, the DOC lifetime fugitive list identified 85 total DOC fugitives. During CY 2010, the fugitive hotline added 173 escapes (144 escapes from community corrections, 29 from minimum security with no escapes from medium or maximum security) and 57 offenders who absconded parole. Assigned agents apprehended 119 DOC escapees and parole absconders while 112 additional fugitives were apprehended by various law enforcement agencies across the nation. The assigned agents assisted Probation and Parole Officers with the apprehension of 59 offenders and assisted the US Marshall Task Force with the apprehension of 67 fugitives. Additionally, this unit completed 19 out of state transports.
Intelligence:
The Intelligence Unit is responsible for continuous collection, evaluation, collation and analysis of raw information into meaningful intelligence for correctional action. Information gathered allows the correctional professional to identify high risk situation, illegal activities and security threat group members within the correctional setting. This unit also develops on-line training available to all staff, trains at the department’s academy, produces a monthly Intelligence Bulletin and conducts training at facilities/districts as well as outside law enforcement agencies upon request.
Security:
The Security Unit’s main objective is to provide security oversight to the department’s administration building. Security is also responsible for arranging the return of all departmental fugitives apprehended outside the state.
Communications:
The Communications Unit provides teletype service, to include online validations, by the way of the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (OLETS). The unit is responsible for entering all escapees and parole absconders into NCIC. Following entry, the unit develops and maintains apprehension files on all fugitives. This unit also maintains the departmental fugitive website and accepts toll free calls from the public in regard to possible locations of fugitives on the Fugitive Hot Line. The unit works closely with the department’s sex offender registry by entering all sex offender information and updates in NCIC. The unit conducts record checks on all departmental employees, volunteers and visitors.
Family Reference Samples:
In 2010, the office of Internal Affairs through the association with the International Association of Cold Case Investigators, joined with Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office, Tulsa Police Department and the Oklahoma City Police Department to help find relatives of missing persons that have not donated DNA.
The purpose of this program is twofold; assist in identifying unidentified human remains located across the nation and to assist love ones of missing persons by attempting to collect DNA from a blood relative. These family DNA samples, referred to as “Family Reference Samples” are then sent to the University of North Texas.
The University of North Texas Center for Human Identification has the responsibility to receive DNA samples from unidentified persons as well as from family members of missing persons, process those samples, and upload the DNA profiles into the National DNA Index System (NDIS). In the NDIS, profiles from missing and unidentified persons across the United States are searched against one another in an attempt to make identifications. It is important to know that DNA profiles from family members are only searched against unidentified persons in the NDIS, and are not searched against the profiles of unknown criminal suspects. If a family member resides outside the State of Oklahoma, arrangements can be made to have his/her DNA collected at a location close to home.
The family member who volunteers to have their DNA collected is required to sign a permission form. The family member will then be interviewed by a local officer, who swabs the inside of their cheek; this process takes about 10 minutes. Officers then note information on the missing person. If a police report has already been taken, information about that report will be important. If no police report has been taken, officers will asked for the missing person’s full name, date of birth, tattoos, dental information, broken bones, scars, social security number and any circumstances surrounding the time the person went missing. A DNA search will then be completed on all current unidentified remains as well as any unidentified remains which may be received in the future.
For more information in regard to Family Reference Samples, please contact the Tulsa Internal Affairs office at (918) 295-3202.
