Commissioners work on jail priorities

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — New commissioners are dealing with an issue that has been ongoing for years in Oklahoma County. Both commissioner Kevin Calvey and Carrie Blumert said fixing problems at the Oklahoma County jail is a priority.

"It's number one," Calvey said. "It's number two, it's number three. This is the biggest public policy problem in our community right now."

Blumert said it's something she's focused on too.

"It is why I ran for this position," Blumert said. "I knocked on thousands of doors, talked with voters, told them what a county commissioner does. I got feedback that people are tired of hearing about the jail."

The county is in the process of making a $2 million repair to the heating and cooling system. Calvey said these repairs are essential to keep the jail running.

"They cut into the insulation on the pipes, the maintenance department at the jail, and didn't replace it," Calvey said. "That caused water to get further down the pipes and caused what already was a small problem made it much worse."

Calvey said maintenance is key in the future of the jail.

"Are we doing things like deferred maintenance that end up costing the taxpayer far more because it wasn't taken care of in a timely manner or in a wise manner?" Calvey said. "That's not just maintenance but other operations of the jail."

Blumert said she would like to keep people who are arrested out of jail and in treatment for drug abuse and mental health. She would like to see some new programs added.

"Working with our judges and working with our drug court and our mental health court and possibly getting more people into those programs," Blumert said. "I'm very supportive of diverting people away from our jail as much as possible and getting them the help they need."

The commissioners said a new jail is being discussed but it would take funding. They said that discussion will continue based on what else they are faced with at the jail.