City of Tulsa and Tulsa County Partner for Municipal Jail Overflow

Tulsa, OK – City and County officials have reached an agreement to allow the City of Tulsa to use the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center, 300 N. Denver Ave., as an overflow site for the city-run jail facility as needed for overflow. The agreement is through June 2022.

“Part of our core responsibility as a city is to operate an efficient public safety system,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “Working with our Tulsa County partners to house our jail overflow population right here in Tulsa will continue to streamline our municipal jail system and continue the strong partnership we have between the Tulsa Police Department and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office. I want to thank the Board of County Commissioners for approving this contract that will benefit our respective agencies and the citizens of Tulsa.”

Tulsa Police will transport city inmates to the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center when the municipal jail, which has 25 beds for males and five beds for females, reaches capacity. The City of Tulsa’s jail can hold prisoners for up to 10 days pursuant to state standards.

“The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are experts in the field of detention services,” Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin said. “The agreement greatly benefits the Tulsa Police Department by allowing overflow municipal prisoners to be housed in the same jurisdiction. David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center also has medical and mental health services embedded in the facility, saving time and resources for the Tulsa Police Department. I’m excited to expand our partnership.”

City prisoners will be released from the county jail upon successful completion of their sentence or upon presentation of an order issued by a City municipal judge. The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office will be responsible for all intake and booking functions relating to the County Jail.

In 2017, the City of Tulsa announced it would open its own municipal jail similar to surrounding cities in Tulsa county, to eliminate the need to send arrestees for city charges, which primarily consists of misdemeanor charges, to Tulsa County’s David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center. Tulsa Police still take arrestees for state charges to David L. Moss.

Once an individual is detained, they are taken to the Tulsa Municipal Jail to be processed for city charges and/or warrants. Municipal or city charges can range from public intoxication, driving with a suspended or revoked license, shoplifting, etc. State charges could include first-degree murder, firstdegree rape, first-degree robbery, burglary, etc.

If an individual only has state charges and/or state warrants, they are taken to Tulsa County’s David L. Moss Center, 300 N. Denver Ave. If an individual has mixed city and state charges, unless charged with a dangerous state felony, the individual is taken to the Tulsa Municipal Jail to have city charges processed first before being taken to Tulsa County’s David L. Moss Center.

The City of Tulsa Municipal Jail is managed by the Tulsa Police Department and staffed by detention officers from G4S Security. Jail staff consists of 25 detention officers, a G4S security manager, and a Tulsa Police Sergeant.

The City of Tulsa’s jail can hold prisoners up to 10 days pursuant to state standards. The facility has 25 male beds and five female beds each divided into their own cell blocks.