Oklahoma Violent Death Reporting System

The Oklahoma Violent Death Reporting System (OKVDRS) is a collaborative effort between the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the OSBI.  As of 2019, all fifty states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico participate in the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) through grant funding provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  This national surveillance system collects information on violent deaths to include suicides, homicides, deaths from legal intervention (a subtype of homicide where the victim is killed by or died as a result of law enforcement acting in the line of duty), deaths of undetermined intent, and unintentional firearm fatalities.  

OKVDRS data are collected from death certificates, medical examiner reports, and law enforcement reports.  OKVDRS includes specific information on victims, suspects, circumstances and weapons. The program’s goal is to provide a tool for the criminal justice, public health, and injury prevention communities and their partners to understand and ultimately reduce violent death events through planning, policy, and prevention programs at the local, state, and national levels.