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 Great Seal of Oklahoma | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1976 |
| Headquarters | 421 NW 13 Street Oklahoma City,Oklahoma |
| Employees | 37 unclassified |
| Annual budget | $100 million |
| Minister responsible | |
| Agency executive |
|
| Website | District Attorneys Council |
TheOklahoma District Attorneys Council is anagency of the state ofOklahoma that provides professional organization for the education, training and coordination of technical efforts of all Oklahoma state prosecutors and to maintain and improve prosecutor efficiency and effectiveness in enforcing the laws of the state. The Council distinguishes itself from the District Attorneys Association, a private organization, in order to lobby the legislature, though it is composed of the same members.[1]
The council is composed of five members, one of which is theAttorney General of Oklahoma and the remaining four are sitting District Attorneys. The council is responsible for appointing an Executive Coordinator to act as chief executive officer of the council. The current Executive Coordinator is Kathryn Boyle Brewer.
The council was established in 1976 during the term ofGovernor of OklahomaDavid L. Boren.
The District Attorneys Council was created by theOklahoma Legislature in 1976.
In 2019,Steve Kunzweiler and member of the Council organized a DA breakfast "where they could all come together for the first time ever" to later "feel comfortable to pick up the phone and call one of the district attorneys if they have a question about proposed legislation" that would affect their work.[2]
In 2025, they asked for more money when prosecuting and handling death penalty cases, because reports about past death penalty cases claiming something had gone awry.[3]
The primary function of the District Attorneys Council is to provide a professional organization for the education, training and coordination of technical efforts of all District Attorneys of the State. The Oklahoma District Attorneys Council assists local DAs by providing financial, personnel, and other administrative services upon request. The council is the administrative agency for the Crime Victims Compensation Board and the state administrative agency for several federal grants.
The Oklahoma District Attorneys Council does not have control over individual district attorneys. Its functions are advisory and administrative support only. The council does not have the power to investigate, stop, or otherwise prevent a district attorney from prosecuting an individual or group.
The District Attorneys Council is under the supervision of theSecretary of Safety and Security. Under currentGovernor of OklahomaKevin Stitt, Major GeneralThomas H. Mancino is serving as the secretary.
The council is composed of five members. The members are theAttorney General of Oklahoma, the President of the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association, the President-elect of the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association, one district attorney selected by theOklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals for a three-year term, and one district attorney selected by the Board of Governors of the Oklahoma Bar Association for a three-year term. A member of the council must vacate their position upon termination of the member's official position as attorney general or district attorney.
As of 2023, the members of the council are:
Under the Association, which shares the same address and members as the Council,[8] District attorneys in Oklahoma "lobbied for or against 47 bills from 2015 to 2018, according to a study published June 3 by theUniversity of North Carolina School of Law’s Prosecutor and Politics Project."[9][10] In 2019, the council's top two executives were "registered as agency liaisons to lobby the Legislature."[11] SenatorGreg Treat, in a 2024 press conference, called the separation of the Association and the Council a "creative way to hide open records."[12][13]
In 2024, the council spoke againstDavid Rader's bill, SB 594, which would have changed the sentencing structure for failure to protect cases, where mothers are typically sentenced more excessively compared to the person who actually carried out the abuse. The bill was backed by theACLU of Oklahoma.[14]
In May 2023, Oklahoma representativeKevin McDugle accused the council of applying "pressure across the system to protect their power" and claimed district attorneys are "deeply embedded" in Oklahoma's branches of government in his attempt to helpRichard Glossip. The council has also "actively sought to underminePrater’s successor,Vicki Behenna, the county’s first female elected DA." Prater and the Council knows "that if the courts agree that Glossip’s conviction should be overturned, it will be up to Behenna to decide whether to retry the case."[15]
In December 2023, RepresentativeJustin Humphrey accused DAs of possibly illegally collecting money during supervised probation and called for the attorney general to investigate. The council's chair, Christopher Boring, rebuked Humphrey's claims.[16][17]
In 2024, House RepresentativeJustin Humphrey accused the Council of fraud for profiting off supervision fees.[18]
In 2024, Oklahoma state Representative Kevin McDugle said he "believes that members of the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council had improper communications with the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board prior to Richard Glossip’sclemency hearing in April 2023." District Attorney Jason Hicks criticized AG Drummond for sharing his views on the case. In other communications revealed, district attorneys referred to Drummond as a “douche” and "complained among themselves that the attorney general had turned Glossip’s clemency hearing into a 'circus'" and that Drummond was vying for a run for governor.[19][20]
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