Out-of-County Travel

Purchases made with such credit cards shall be limited to actual expenses for travel out of the county by the county sheriff or their deputies to perform their official duties.
19 O.S. § 1506(A)

"Actual expenses for travel" are expenses incurred for travel by the following means:

• Public or private railroads
• Airplanes
• Buses
• Rental cars
• Other public or private conveyances

"Actual expenses" also include the following items:

• Fuel
• Oil
• Meals
• Lodging
• Parking Fees
• Telephone expenses

In-County Fuel Purchases

The county sheriff's office may also use the credit card to purchase fuel within the county on weekends, nights, or holidays when fuel cannot be obtained from the vendor to whom a bid has been awarded.

Educational Training Expenses

2019 AG 11

The obvious intent of the legislation authorizing credit cards for out-of-county travel is for the transport of prisoners or to conduct an investigation outside the county. However, the Oklahoma Attorney General has issued an opinion that the “official duties” of the county sheriff or deputy sheriff include conferences and meetings to receive instruction that are attended voluntarily. Thus, a county sheriff or deputy sheriff is permitted to use a credit card issued to the county to pay the cost of out-of-county travel for attending voluntary law enforcement instruction and training, including those that occur at conferences and meetings, assuming all other statutory requirements are met. Whether or not a “vendor show” meets the definition of official duties is less clear. A recommended best practice is that such events should be defined in the county policy or submitted as a request for an opinion to the county’s district attorney.