A. The Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission shall appoint an executive director who shall have the same qualifications as a member of the Commission. The qualification regarding the residency requirement for Commission members shall not apply to the executive director. The executive director shall have experience in the horse racing industry of a character and for a length of time sufficient, in the opinion of the Commission, to fulfill the duties required of the executive director. The Commission shall determine the duties and compensation of the executive director.

B. The executive director shall recommend to the Commission the administrative organization and the number and qualifications of employees necessary without regard to race, color, gender, creed or national origin, to implement the provisions of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Act. A written equal opportunity plan will be developed for the Commission, by the executive director as part of the organizational plan. Upon approval of the organizational plan by the Commission, the executive director may employ such persons as are deemed necessary to implement the provisions of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Act.

C. 1. The organizational plan adopted by the Commission shall provide for a law enforcement division which shall have the responsibility for conducting investigations relating to the proper conduct of horse racing and the pari-mutuel system of wagering including but not limited to barring undesirables from horse racing, undercover investigations, fingerprinting persons licensed by the Commission, and reviewing license applications. The person in charge of the law enforcement division shall be a professional law enforcement officer with a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the field of law enforcement and a graduate of a four-year college with a degree in law enforcement administration, law, criminology or a related science, or in lieu thereof a minimum of ten (10) years of experience in the field of law enforcement.

2. The officers and agents of the law enforcement division of the Commission, and such other employees as the person in charge of said division 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.

3. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation shall provide such information within its possession as is requested by the law enforcement division of the Commission for the purpose of reviewing license applications.

4. If upon investigation by the Commission there is substantial evidence indicating that the security at any track is not satisfactory, the Commission may order the organization licensee to remedy the deficiency. If after ten (10) days following the order the organization licensee has not remedied the deficiency, the Commission may institute its own security personnel program until the deficiency in security is remedied, and may charge the organization licensee the actual costs incurred for said security. The organization licensee may petition the Commission for a hearing at any time to review the necessity of the Commission further maintaining its own security personnel.

5. The provisions of this subsection shall not be construed to restrict or prohibit any federal, state, or local law enforcement officer from performing any duties imposed upon the law enforcement officer by law.

6. The executive director is authorized to purchase and maintain motor vehicles, to authorize the purchase and issuance of uniforms for all law enforcement officers within the law enforcement division of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission and to purchase and issue necessary equipment for all employees of the Commission. All uniforms and equipment shall be used only in the performance of the official duties of the law enforcement officers and other personnel of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission as designated by the executive director and shall remain the property of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission.

D. The executive director shall obtain a surety bond in the amount of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) before entering into the duties of the office. The surety bond shall be conditioned upon the faithful performance of the duties of the executive director and the proper accounting of all moneys and property received by the executive director by virtue of the office. The cost of the surety bond shall be paid by the Commission.

Added by Laws 1983, c. 11, § 8, emerg. eff. March 22, 1983. Amended by Laws 2014, c. 380, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2014.