Oklahoma Watch, a nonprofit group conducting investigative journalism about the state's public policy, has recently released two reports dealing with police officers' loss of CLEET certification following felony conviction.
The Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training, or CLEET, was established in Oklahoma in 1963 as the agency overseeing peace officer certification and licensing and training of private security. According to state law, CLEET "shall revoke the certification of any person upon determining that such person has been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude or a domestic violence offense.”
In Oklahoma Watch's first report of CLEET certification revocation, the organization reports that this process can take years:
"More recently, from 2010 to 2012, 66 officers had their certifications revoked or suspended, were given a letter of reprimand, or they surrendered their certification, according to copies of final disciplinary orders provided by CLEET. In 22 cases where officers lost or gave up their certifications because of convictions, guilty pleas or other misconduct, it took longer than two years after the resolution of the case for CLEET’s action to be completed, the disciplinary orders show. In 18 of those cases, it took longer than four years."
The organization reports that it analyzed court documents and CLEET records of officer convictions and law enforcement certification and "identified a dozen cases from 2003 to 2011 where law officers were convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, felonies but still are certified as peace officers."
Theoretically, this delay could mean that an officer whose CLEET certification had not yet been withdrawn could apply for another law enforcement job with another agency. However, this is unlikely, as law enforcement agencies conduct vigorous background checks, and despite a former officer retaining CLEET certification, his or her felony or misdemeanor conviction would still show up in criminal background checks unless the offense was expunged.
The second Oklahoma Watch report identifies the leading criminal convictions that cause police officers to lose CLEET certification. The report says that the majority of such convictions--fully 25 percent--are sex crimes.
According to the article, 66 Oklahoma police officers and highway patrol troopers lost CLEET certification due to criminal conviction in the two years from 2010 to 2012. Of these cases, 18 involved conviction of sex crimes. Among the remaining 48 cases are convictions for DUI and domestic violence.
Earlier this week, the police chief of the North Miami Police Department in Miami, Oklahoma, was arrested on a domestic violence complaint and served with a Victim's Protective Order after allegedly pushing his girlfriend during an argument, causing her to strike her head on a table. According to the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department, North Miami Police Chief Kevin Joe Sheppard is free on $5,000 bond.
Regardless of your occupation, a criminal charge can have a profound impact on your employment and future career opportunities. If you have been accused of a crime, you need aggressive legal defense as quickly as possible. Click here to learn more.
.
