The Oklahoman

Sheriff seeks new site for offices

- By Nolan Clay Staff writer nclay@oklahoman.com

In another sign he is serous about no l onger operating t he j ai l , Oklahoma County Sheriff P. D. Taylor is planning to move his own offices to another location.

The sheriff now has offices on the first floor and basement of the 13-story jail just west of downtown Oklahoma City. On Wednesday, he told the jail trust that it needs to take over day-to-day operations of the jail Jan. 1.

On Friday, he told county commission­ers he wants to move into a county-owned building at NE 36 and Martin Luther King Avenue in Oklahoma City by Jan. 1.

“It is imperative that a suitable location be identified in short order so it can be made ready by that date,” he wrote in a letter. “It is believed that a total separation of personnel and operations will be beneficial to both the” jail trust and the sheriff's office.

The suggested building, formerly the K row se Army Reserve Center, was the temporary location of t he Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservati­on while that state agency' s headquarte­rs s outh of t he Capitol underwent renovation because of flood damage in 2013.

Under the sheriff's plans, his offices at the jail, offices at a substation in Spencer and dispatch services in Midwest

City would be relocated to the first floor of the Krowse building. The rest of the space there would become temporary offices for the county commission­ers, county clerk, court clerk and others during a crisis.

“This l eaves an adequate amount of space on the second floor and in the basement to effectuate a continuity of operations plan should an emergency or disaster befall Oklahoma County,” the sheriff told commission­ers about his plans.

His abrupt announceme­nt that the trust must assume control of all aspects of the jail at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1 shocked county and trust officials. Some expressed doubt that the deadline could be met.

Oklahoma County' s three commission­ers voted unanimousl­y in May to create the jail trust. The jail trust voted 6-2 in August to hire an outside administra­tor to oversee jail operations. The sheriff said employees have left in mass since the trust was created due to their confusion and outright distrust of the commission­er sand the trust about their future.

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