A. The following shall be considered as minimum evidence satisfactory to the Polygraph Examiners Board that the applicant is qualified for registration as a polygraph examiner:

1. Attainment of at least twenty-one (21) years of age;

2. Citizenship of the United States;

3. Never having been convicted of a felony crime that substantially relates to the occupation of a polygraph examiner and poses a reasonable threat to public safety; and

4.a.hold a baccalaureate degree from a college or university accredited by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, or, in lieu thereof, be a graduate of an accredited high school and have five (5) consecutive years of active investigative experience of a character satisfactory to the Board,

b.be a graduate of a polygraph examiners course approved by the Board and have satisfactorily completed not less than six (6) months of internship training, and

c.have passed an examination conducted by and to the satisfaction of the Board, or under its supervision, to determine his competency to obtain a license to practice as an examiner.

B. Beginning July 1, 1996, employees of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) who are employed on that date by the OSBI as polygraphers shall become licensed pursuant to the Polygraph Examiners Act without undergoing the testing and training requirements provided for in subparagraphs b and c of paragraph 4 of subsection A of this section. Any person who is employed as a polygrapher for the OSBI after July 1, 1996, shall be required to meet the testing and training requirements prior to licensure.

C. As used in this section:

1. "Substantially relates" means the nature of criminal conduct for which the person was convicted has a direct bearing on the fitness or ability to perform one or more of the duties or responsibilities necessarily related to the occupation; and

2. "Poses a reasonable threat" means the nature of criminal conduct for which the person was convicted involved an act or threat of harm against another and has a bearing on the fitness or ability to serve the public or work with others in the occupation.

Added by Laws 1971, c. 140, § 8, emerg. eff. May 17, 1971. Amended by Laws 1973, c. 88, § 2, emerg. eff. May 1, 1973; Laws 1985, c. 189, § 6, operative July 1, 1985; Laws 1996, c. 23, § 2, eff. July 1, 1996; Laws 2019, c. 363, § 51, eff. Nov. 1, 2019.