OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislation allowing the Office of Juvenile System Oversight to share complaint information with law enforcement when a complainant makes a serious threat of violence against a person or organization has been signed into law.

House Bill 4302, authored by Rep. Kevin Norwood, R-Owasso, and Sen. Christi Gillespie, R-Broken Arrow, allows complaint information from the Office of Juvenile System Oversight to be disclosed to appropriate law enforcement agencies when necessary to protect the safety of others after a complainant communicates a threat.

The information otherwise remains confidential unless ordered released by a court of competent jurisdiction. Before the new law, complaint information was generally kept confidential unless a court ordered it released. This bill creates a specific exception for safety threats.

"We want people to feel safe reporting concerns involving the juvenile system, and this law preserves those protections," Norwood said. "At the same time, we have a responsibility to act when someone makes a threat that could put others in danger. This legislation gives law enforcement the ability to intervene before a situation escalates."

Gillespie agreed that the new law will help ensure safety for threats moving forward.

"Law enforcement is always the best place to turn when someone makes serious threats of violence," Gillespie said. "This new law protects a complainant’s privacy while ensuring law enforcement is informed of credible risks to public safety. When it comes to alarming threats, it’s always better to be safe than sorry."

Under HB4302, disclosure is limited only to appropriate law enforcement agencies when a reasonable person would interpret a communicated threat as a serious expression of intent to commit unlawful violence.

HB4302 takes effect Nov. 1.