Oklahoma County jail reports staffing shortfalls, proposes pay increases and adds two transport vans
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Summary
County jail officials told the budget board the jail is short-staffed, reported 12 employee losses so far this month, and proposed pay adjustments estimated to cost about $3.4 million per year. The jail also secured two 12-passenger transport vans to address inmate transportation bottlenecks.
Jail leadership told the Oklahoma County Budget Board that the county jail faces critical staffing shortages and proposed a countywide pay adjustment for detention staff that officials estimate would cost about $3.4 million per year.
The jail official reported a current employee count of 338, down from 348 a few weeks earlier, and said 47 of those positions are medical staff. The speaker reported 12 resignations or terminations so far in the month and said the facility had started a training academy with 23 cadets but had lost nine and had 14 remaining who are expected to graduate in about four weeks.
To address recruitment and retention, the jail official proposed increasing starting pay for detention officers to about $50,000 and providing across-the-board raises of roughly 7.5% to 14.5% for other jail staff; the presenter estimated the annual cost at approximately $3,400,000. The board did not vote on the pay proposal during the meeting — the item was presented for discussion and staffing and budget implications were explored.
On transportation, the jail said it secured two outfitted 12-passenger transport vans that should arrive and be parked on site by Friday next week. Those vans expand capacity beyond the single 10-person van the jail currently operates and are intended to reduce delays in moving inmates to other facilities, including the Department of Corrections. The presenter said the county had reached out to DOC officials in Lexington to coordinate transfers and logistics.
Board members asked whether additional vehicles or contractual arrangements with Oklahoma City could reduce transportation costs; the jail official said discussions are ongoing and that staff will follow up with details.
Why it matters: Staffing shortages and high turnover in detention staff can affect operations, inmate safety and transportation logistics; the pay proposal, if adopted, would have a multi-million-dollar impact on the county budget and would require follow-up action by the board.
Ending The presentation concluded without a formal board vote on pay changes. Jail leadership said it will continue to work with county finance and infrastructure staff on transportation logistics and to report back on recruitment outcomes and the financial impact of any compensation changes.