For Whetsel, ongoing challenges took a toll
JOHN Whetsel’s sudden decision to retire as Oklahoma County sheriff surprised the man who ran unsuccessfully against him in November and likely disappointed many of those who voted for Whetsel thinking he would serve a sixth, four-year term. Yet although Whetsel has successfully rebuffed many past criticisms, it appeared that wouldn’t be the case with the latest controversy facing his office.
Whetsel has been a frequent target of critics, whether it was department cruisers patrolling in areas already covered by city police, or the accumulation of military-style equipment, or complaints about inmate conditions at the jail. In recent months, however, he has also faced legal trouble over the jail’s bookkeeping, which contributed to a lack of confidence among county commissioners.
In October, a special investigative audit conducted by the state Auditor and Inspector’s Office at the request of District Attorney David Prater found, among other things, that the jail hadn’t paid its medical bills for several months in 2015 despite having the money to do so. After Whetsel won re-election three months ago, the commissioners asked Prater to keep digging. Witnesses had been expected to appear before a state multicounty grand jury later this month.
The company that provides the jail’s health care services won a $3.3 million judgment last summer after filing a breach of contract lawsuit. County property owners will foot that bill via higher taxes over three years if an appeal is unsuccessful.
Whetsel has consistently defended his practices, telling commissioners in November that no money had gone missing or was embezzled. Instead, he has said, difficult decisions were made as a result of cash flow problems stemming from a historic budget shortfall and a loss of income from the state Corrections Department.
Whetsel also has had the federal government looking over his shoulder since 2008 when, in a highly critical report, the Justice Department cited 60 civil rights violations at the jail. All but a handful of those have been addressed. The others require structural changes at the high-rise jail.
In his resignation letter, Whetsel, 67, paraphrased Scripture passages in writing, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, and now this is the season and the time for my retirement.”
He also said he is convinced a change is needed and that he’s doing “what I think is best for the future of the Sheriff’s Office.” To be sure, the office doesn’t need the spectacle of the sheriff being forced out of office, which may have ultimately been the result of the ongoing investigation.
As a county task force moves forward to enact reforms to the justice system and county leaders weigh the future of the jail, they will need a sheriff who can focus on and assist with these important changes.
So while he said he’s glad to provide any input to help implement any recommendations, beginning March 1 Whetsel will do so as the former sheriff. It’s an inauspicious ending to a proud 50-year career in law enforcement.