OSBI Commission Retains Director Amid Recent Controversy

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) Commission held a pivotal meeting Wednesday at OSBI headquarters to address recent complaints against the agency and its director, Aungela Spurlock.

The session marked the commission’s first gathering since a chaotic meeting, in May 2024, was abruptly shut down due to legal discrepancies with the meeting’s agenda. Three new commissioners appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt—Village Police Chief Russ Landon, local businessman Jeff Van Hoose, and former Oklahoma Highway Patrol Chief Jerry Cason — were in attendance for what became a lengthy executive session. The agenda detailed 5-line items including a discussion of ‘any written complaints against the Bureau or any of its employees’ and a ‘routine’ review of Spurlock’s performance as director.

Central to the discussions were serious allegations of misconduct against Director Spurlock, including claims that she interfered with grievances filed against her. Among the recent complaints was an accusation from the daughter of a cold case victim, who questioned whether Spurlock intercepted a complaint that she emailed to the OSBI commission in March. Kira Lowe was invited to a meeting with Spurlock ahead of the commission meeting in May. Still seeking a response from the commission, she attended the meeting to discover that she’d been left off the agenda.

“I came here looking for answers, but instead, I was ignored and dismissed. How can I trust the OSBI when our voices aren’t heard?” Lowe said at the conclusion of May’s meeting.

Further complicating matters, a former OSBI agent accused Spurlock of using her position to suppress complaints. The agent claimed that dismissal from the bureau came with a retirement agreement that was contingent on withdrawing a complaint — a serious allegation investigated by the Attorney General’s office. The A.G. cleared Spurlock of criminal wrongdoing but said it would be the commission’s responsibility to investigate and address potential policy violations.

“It’s unsettling that the person under investigation also has a hand in managing the complaints presented to the commission. There’s a clear conflict of interest here,” said a News 9 source close to agency. The commissioners were expected to address the policy concerns in May, but legal discrepancies in the agenda halted that meeting before any discussion occurred.

Despite these concerns, the commission, after a three-hour executive session, decided to retain Director Spurlock. The decision, made with Spurlock present during discussions about her own conduct, raises questions about the integrity of the process.

“It’s hard to believe the commission can be objective when the person under scrutiny is in the room. This only adds to the perception that something isn’t right at OSBI,” another source commented.

OSBI Commission Chairman Vic Regalado addressed their decisions following the executive session, stating, “Any complaint against the Director regarding criminal activity will be sent to the Attorney General's office for investigation.” Regalado also reiterated that policy infractions will be handled by the commission through performance reviews or discussions about enhancing or changing policies that were allegedly overlooked or broken.

Regalado also noted that a recent internal survey, with 191 responses, indicated that a majority of OSBI employees are proud to work for the agency. “Is it a cure-all, and does it mean everyone is happy? No, but if you have 191 people taking time to fill out the survey, I think that is a good indicator that things are going in the right direction,” he said.

OSBI’s results from the 2024 Oklahoma Statewide Employment Engagement Survey indicated that 86.2% of employees were satisfied with the agency. Comments included with the survey were not immediately released to News 9.

Director Spurlock declined to comment on Wednesday's discussion, but OSBI spokesperson, Hunter McKee released a statement: “Today’s Commission Meeting was an opportunity to showcase many of the improvements made within the OSBI over the past fiscal year. The staff appreciates the recognition of the achievements of each of the divisions from the Commission members.”

When asked about the recent, highly publicized complaints against the agency, McKee stated, “Per OSBI’s confidentiality statute, the OSBI cannot discuss details about how many complaints have been received or regarding personnel matters. The Director and Commission act in accordance with OSBI Policy and OSBI Administrative Rules when handling both internal and external complaints.”