Interim OSBI director named

Staff Writer nclay@oklahoman.com

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has turned to a well-known, retired law enforcement leader to be its interim director.

Bob Ricks was named to the position Tuesday after the OSBI commission voted 5-1 to accept the resignation of Director Stan Florence.

Ricks, 73, retired a year ago after serving more than 13 years as Edmond police chief. He was commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety for eight years before that.

Ricks began his law enforcement career almost 50 years ago with the FBI. He was the FBI special agent in charge in Oklahoma in 1995 when a bomber blew up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

Florence, 57, served more than seven years as OSBI director. He stepped down after an investigation into employee complaints was completed. He will return to his previous position as an OSBI inspector.

In his Feb. 9 resignation letter, Florence wrote he had “enjoyed my role in providing oversight of this great agency.”

In a Jan. 30, 2017, letter, more than 40 OSBI employees complained to the commission that Florence was “ineffective” as a leader and that morale was on the decline. OSBI commissioners agreed Tuesday that the specific allegations made in the complaint required no further action by them.

The OSBI primarily assists other law enforcement agencies in investigating crimes, officer-involved shootings, suspicious deaths and jail deaths. It also can initiate certain investigations on its own, like threats against lawmakers.

Last year, special agents received 628 new cases, closed 677 cases and made 132 arrests. There were 1,281 pending cases at the end of the year.