Rick Oules
Rick Oules is an American former law enforcement agent who served as Director of the California Department Of Justice, Division of Law Enforcement from 2005 to 2008. He began his career in the Merced County SHERIFF's Department, before serving as a Special Agent of the California Attorney General. Part of his career was spent in undercover operations involving narcotics.
Early life
Rick Oules was born in Merced, California. He was raised in the Planada area of Merced County and attended Planada Elementary School and Le Grand Union High School.
Merced County Sheriff's Department
Oules joined the Merced County Sheriff's Department in 1975 as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff. In 1977 he became a full time Deputy Sheriff in Merced County. While employed with the Merced County Sheriff's Department he served four years assigned to the uniformed Patrol Division, four years in a undercover role assigned to Narcotics Investigations, and two years as a Patrol Sergeant.
California Department of Justice
In 1987, Rick Oules joined the California Department of Justice as a Special Agent of the California Attorney General. His first assignment was to the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE), Fresno Regional Office. While assigned to the Fresno Regional Office, he served in an undercover capacity while working Clandestine Labs, Special Operations Unit, and the Campaign Against [...] Planting (CAMP). In 1989 he was promoted to Special Agent Supervisor and assigned as Commander of the Santa Cruz County, California, Narcotic Task Force. From 1988 to 1999 he served in various leadership positions in the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement serving as Commander of narcotic task forces in Merced, Fresno, Mariposa, and San Joaquin Counties.
In 1999 he was assigned as Adjutant to the Director of the Division of Law Enforcement, California Department of Justice. In this assignment he served as a key staff member to Director Steven Staveley. In 2001 he was promoted to Special Agent in Charge and assigned to Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement Headquarters in Sacramento, California. As Special Agent in Charge of BNE Headquarters he managed all statewide enforcement programs. Some of these programs included Task Force Operations, the Campaign Against [...] Planting, Clandestine Lab Enforcement, Pharmacutical Diversion and Precursor Chemicals, and Gang Investigations. In 2002 he was promoted to Assistant Chief assigned to the Criminal Intelligence Bureau. As Assistant Chief he oversaw all field operations and local criminal intelligence task forces.
In 2003 he was promoted to Deputy Director, California Department of Justice, Division of Law Enforcement. As Deputy Director he oversaw all operations and administration of the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, the Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Forensic Services.
Director of the Division of Law Enforcement
In 2005 he was appointed Director of the California Department of Justice, Division of Law Enforcement by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer. As Director of the Division of Law Enforcement he was responsible for the Division's $225 million budget, 1,300 employees of which 500 were sworn peace officer, and facilities throughout California. Included within the Division of Law Enforcement was the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, the Bureau of Investigation, the Criminal Intelligence Bureau, the Bureau of Forensic Services, the Administrative Services Bureau, and the Western States Information Network. Upon receiving the appointment to Director from Attorney General Lockyer, Rick Oules became the first Director to have come up through the ranks in over 45 years.
In 2007, he was re-appointed Director of the Division of Law Enforcement by Attorney General Jerry Brown. While serving as Director for Attorney General Brown, Oules led a complete reorganization of the Division. As a result of the reorganization process, the Division of Law Enforcement added two additional bureaus to the command which had formerly been organized as Divisions. The new bureaus included the Bureau of Firearms, formerly the Division of Firearms, and the Bureau of Gaming, formerly the Division of Gaming. These new bureaus increased the size of the Division of Law Enforcement to 1,500 employees, 600 of whom were Peace Officers, and an annual operating budget of $250 million. In January, 2008, Rick Oules honorably retired from the California Department of Justice. He had served a total of 31 years in state and local law enforcement, and had achieved the highest ranks of the Special Agent series.
Post-retirement
Following a brief period of retirement (2 weeks), Oules accepted a position with the United States Attorney's Office in Sacramento, California. He was hired as Law Enforcement Coordinator for the Eastern District of California by United States Attorney McGregor Scott. In this capacity he acts as the United States Attorney's primary law enforcement liaison to state and local agencies and manages several programs provided by the United States Department of Justice.
Awards and recognition
Oules is a graduate of Saint Mary's College of California where he obtained a B.A. degree in management. He has received numerous awards and citations, including the prestigious Golden Badge Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement Management. The Golden Badge Award is presented annually by the California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations, one of the largest law enforcement coalitions in the United States. He is a Past President of the California Narcotic Officer's Association and is a member of the California Council on Criminal Justice. He was appointed to the California Council on Criminal Justice by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004. He has served as a Staff Instructor for Institute for Intergovernmental Relations and has provided training for thousands of peace officers throughout the United States.