# Oklahoma Secretary of Public Safety

The Oklahoma Secretary of Public Safety is a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The Secretary serves as the chief advisor to the Governor on public safety and criminal justice.
The current Secretary-Designate is Tricia Everest who was appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt in 2021 and awaits Senate confirmation, and if confirmed will be the first woman to hold this position.

## Overview

The Secretary of Public Safety was established in 1986 to provide greater oversight and coordination to the public safety and criminal justice activities of the State government. The position was established, along with the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet, by the Executive Branch Reform Act of 1986. The Secretary advises the Governor on public safety policy and advises the state's public safety agencies on new policy as directed by the Governor. The Secretary also provides the overarching management structure for the state's criminal justice agencies in order to deliver improved public services while eliminating redundancies and reducing support costs in order to more effectively and efficiently run the agencies in a unified manner.
The Secretary is responsible for overseeing State police services, criminal investigations, criminal justice and adult criminal corrections. The Secretary also coordinates the State's justice system by overseeing all state prosecutors and generally maintains public order throughout the State through oversight of all State law enforcement agencies. Homeland security, emergency management and law enforcement training are also overseen by the Secretary. The Secretary serves ex officio as the Governor's Representative for Highway Safety. As such, the Secretary is responsible for administering all funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the purposes of promoting highway safety.
Oklahoma state law allows for Cabinet Secretaries to serve concurrently as the head of a State agency in addition to their duties as a Cabinet Secretary. Historically, the Secretary of Public Safety has also served as the Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. However, the current Secretary Chip Keating does not share this role, with the position Commissioner currently filled by Rusty Rhoades.
The Secretary, unless filling an additional role which carries a greater salary, is entitled to annual pay of $85,000.

## Reporting officials

Officials reporting to the Secretary include:
| Office | Officeholder | Since |
| Attorney General | Gentner Drummond | 2023 |
| Director, Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission | Brandon Clabes | 2022 |
| Director, State Bureau of Investigation | Steven Carter | 2025 |
| Director, State Bureau of Narcotics | Donnie Anderson | 2020 |
| Chief Medical Examiner | Dr. Eric Pfeifer | 2011 |
| Executive Director, Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training | Darry Stacy | 2023 |
| Director, Department of Corrections | Steven Harpe | 2022 |
| Director, Department of Emergency Management | Annie Mack-Vest | 2024 |
| Commissioner, Department of Public Safety | Tim Tipton | 2021 |
| Executive Coordinator, District Attorneys Council | Kathryn Brewer | 2022 |
| Director, Office of Homeland Security | Rohit Rai | 2024 |
| Executive Director, Indigent Defense System | Tim Laughlin | 2024 |
| State Fire Marshall | G. Keith Bryant | 2021 |
| Executive Director, Pardon and Parole Board | Tom Bates | 2020 |

## Budget

The Secretary of Public Safety oversees a budget for Fiscal Year 2020 of $1 billion. The budget authorization is broken down as follows:
| Agency | Funding (in millions) | Employees (in FTEs) |
| Criminal Justice |||
| Office of the Attorney General | 38.3 | 207 |
| District Attorneys Council | 125.2 | 1,081 |
| Indigent Defense System | 19.6 | 109 |
| SUBTOTAL | 183.1 | 1,397 |
| Law Enforcement |||
| Alcoholic Beverage Law Enforcement Commission | 3.6 | 31 |
| Department of Public Safety | 184.3 | 1,424 |
| Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control | 20 | 143 |
| State Bureau of Investigation | 37.6 | 318 |
| Office of the State Fire Marshall | 2.8 | 23 |
| SUBTOTAL | 248.3 | 1,939 |
| Corrections |||
| Pardon and Parole Board | 2.2 | 23 |
| Department of Corrections | 548.9 | 4,181 |
| SUBTOTAL | 551.1 | 4,204 |
| Science and Training |||
| Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training | 6.3 | 40 |
| Office of Chief Medical Examiner | 12.1 | 94 |
| SUBTOTAL | 18.4 | 134 |
| Emergency Management |||
| Department of Emergency Management | 7.2 | 30 |
| SUBTOTAL | 7.2 | 30 |
| TOTAL | $1,008 | 7,704 |

## List of secretaries

| Name | Took office | Left office | Governor served under |
| Bob Ricks | 1995 | 2003 | Frank Keating |
| Bob Ricks | 2003 | 2004 | Brad Henry |
| Kevin L. Ward | 2004 | 2011 | Brad Henry |
| Michael C. Thompson | 2011 | 2017 | Mary Fallin |
| Rusty Rhoades | 2017 | 2019 | Mary Fallin |
| Chip Keating | 2019 | Present | Kevin Stitt |