Oklahoma County jail reports 1,464 inmates and seeks $4 million DOJ grant

The Oklahoma County Justice Authority heard an operational update on June 8 showing a May daily population of 1,464 inmates and a rise in sentenced detainees, officials said.

"As of today, we had 1,464 inmates," Mr. Kimry told trustees during the operational report, adding that 134 of those were sentenced inmates. He said the jail prefers to keep sentenced counts under 100 but that transfers from the Department of Corrections have constrained that goal.

The report also covered staffing and training. Mr. Kimry said the facility employs about 345 people, including roughly 55 medical staff, and described the most recent detention academy: 36 cadets started and about 25 remained, a dropout rate of roughly 30 percent. He noted the department has used the Department of Corrections' training facility to expand exercises and simulations.

Trustees and staff discussed contraband and safety. Mr. Kimry said the jail currently has about 20 open criminal-investigation cases and raised a recurring issue: suspected drug-laden material arriving through legal mail. "We send it to the OSBI right now," he said, describing the process of referring suspicious mail to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for testing. Staff also displayed improvised knives and described shanks recovered during searches, framing them as an officer-safety risk.

The jail's medical staff reported 30 emergency-room send-outs in May and a heavy volume of mental-health contacts. Sarah from the medical division said two Narcan treatments that month were administered by the Department of Corrections rather than facility medical personnel. "From the medical side, we did not see a need to administer Narcan," she said.

Staff highlighted programming and community partnerships. GED testing for residents has begun, a volunteer academy for nonprofit and chaplain volunteers is scheduled for June 9–10, and the trust authorized staff to submit a Bureau of Justice Assistance application seeking up to $4 million over three years to support reinvestment initiatives.

Officials also reported progress on intergovernmental contracts. Mr. Kimry said Deputy Chief Butner of Oklahoma City had no issues with the current housing contract and staff expect the city council to take up the agreement so the trust can consider it in July.

Trustees did not take additional policy action on most operational items beyond approving contracts and the grant authorization; they also discussed convening another formal coordination call with DOC given recent personnel changes.

The Trust moved into executive session later in the meeting for pending litigation matters and returned to approve related consulting services and other items. The board scheduled its next regular meeting for July 13, 2026, and noted there may be a special June session to formally accept the completed jail audit.