2023 Oklahoma Statutes › Title 59. Professions and Occupations › §59-1350.9. Qualifications - Publication of address - Liability insurance.

A. Except as prohibited by Section 1350.3 of this title, a bail enforcer license or an armed bail enforcer license may be issued to an applicant meeting the following qualifications. The applicant shall:
1. Be a citizen of the United States or an alien legally residing in the United States and have a minimum of six (6) months legal residence documented in this state;
2. Be at least twenty-one (21) years of age;
3. Have a high school diploma or GED, or offer proof sufficient to CLEET of equivalent GED qualifications, and have successfully completed the training and psychological evaluation requirements for the license applied for, as prescribed by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training;
4. Have no final victim protection orders issued in any state as a defendant;
5. Have no record of a felony conviction or any expungement or a deferred judgment or suspended sentence for a felony offense, unless at least fifteen (15) years have passed since the completion of the sentence and no other convictions have occurred or are pending. Provided, no person convicted of a felony offense shall be eligible for an armed bail enforcer license;
6. Have no record of conviction for assault or battery, aggravated assault or battery, larceny, theft, false pretense, fraud, embezzlement, false personation of an officer, any offense involving a minor as a victim, any nonconsensual sex offense, any offense involving the possession, use, distribution, or sale of a controlled dangerous substance, any offense of driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence of intoxicating substance, any offense involving a firearm, or any other offense as prescribed by the Council.
a.
If any conviction which disqualifies an applicant occurred more than five (5) years prior to the application date and the Council is convinced the offense constituted an isolated incident and the applicant has been rehabilitated, the Council may, in its discretion, waive the conviction disqualification as provided for in this paragraph and issue an unarmed bail enforcer license, but shall not issue an armed bail enforcer license if the offense involved the use of a firearm, was violent in nature, or was a felony offense other than a driving offense.
b.
Under oath, the applicant shall certify that he or she has no disqualifying convictions as specified in the Bail Enforcement and Licensing Act or by rule of the Council, or that more than five (5) years have lapsed since the completion of the sentence for a disqualifying conviction.
c.
The applicant shall further meet all other qualifications, including, but not limited to, the requirement to provide CLEET and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation with individual fingerprints for a state and national criminal history records search and a current individual photograph with the completed CLEET application for a bail enforcer license.
d.
If upon completion of the required background investigation it is discovered that a disqualifying conviction exists, the Council shall immediately revoke or deny the bail enforcer license of the applicant;
7. Make a statement that the applicant is not currently undergoing treatment for a mental illness, condition, or disorder, make a statement whether the applicant has ever been adjudicated incompetent or committed to a mental institution, and make a statement regarding any history of illegal drug use or alcohol abuse. Upon presentation by the Council of the name, gender, date of birth, and address of the applicant to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services shall notify the Council within ten (10) days whether the computerized records of the Department indicate the applicant has ever been involuntarily committed to an Oklahoma state mental institution. For purposes of this subsection, "currently undergoing treatment for a mental illness, condition, or disorder" means the person has been diagnosed by a licensed physician or psychologist as being afflicted with a substantial disorder of thought, mood, perception, psychological orientation, or memory that significantly impairs judgment, behavior, capacity to recognize reality, or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life and such condition continues to exist;
8. Make a statement regarding any misdemeanor domestic violence charges;
9. Provide proof of liability insurance or an individual bond in a minimum amount established by the Bail Enforcement and Licensing Act; and
10. Provide a statement of self-employment as a sole proprietor bail enforcer.
B. 1. A bail enforcer shall be required to maintain a physical address and phone number publically available and published in the city or county where the physical address is located. Only a licensed bail enforcer may accept a client contract to perform the services of a bail enforcer.
2. A licensed bail enforcer shall be required to maintain complete records of all clients, defendants and apprehensions, and agree such records shall be available to CLEET for inspection at any time during regular business hours.
C. 1. All bail enforcers shall obtain and maintain either a liability insurance policy or a surety bond that allows persons to recover for actionable injuries, loss, or damage as a result of the willful, or wrongful acts or omissions of the licensee and protects this state, its agents, officers and employees from judgments against the licensee, and is further conditioned upon the faithful and honest conduct of the licensee.
2. The liability insurance policy or surety bond required in this subsection shall be in the minimum amount of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00).
3. Liability insurance policies or bonds issued pursuant to this subsection shall not be modified or canceled unless ten (10) days' prior written notice is given to the Council. All persons insured or bonded pursuant to this subsection shall be insured by an insurance carrier or bonded by a surety company licensed and authorized to do business in the state. Failure to obtain and maintain sufficient liability insurance or bond as provided in the Bail Enforcement and Licensing Act shall be grounds for revocation of a license.
D. Upon written notice, any license may be placed on inactive status.
Added by Laws 2013, c. 407, § 10, eff. Nov. 1, 2013. Amended by Laws 2014, c. 373, § 5, eff. July 1, 2014; Laws 2019, c. 363, § 48, eff. Nov. 1, 2019.