Payne County Commissioners conduct annual jail inspection

The Payne County Board of Commissioners recessed its regular weekly meeting on Monday to conduct its annual inspection of the Payne County Jail.

The five-story jail opened on July 5, 2009, replacing a much smaller, obsolete jail that regularly held more than its designed capacity of 54 inmates.

The new jail has a capacity of 404 inmates, and a current census of 235 inmates, including 35-40 federal prisoners who are housed at a cost of $45 per day.

The jail inspection was delayed by Chairman Chris Reding to inspect the new body scanner recently installed in the jail. It was purchased at a price of $122,000 by the commissioners who joined the BuyBoard Purchasing Cooperative located in Austin, Texas to obtain the discounted price.

Jail Administrator Capt. Reese Lane led the tour and advised the commissioners that the scanner uses radiation to detect anomalies in the human body, such as metal objects and contraband that could be smuggled into the jail. The scanner has prevented inmates from smuggling marijuana into the Payne County jail, Lane said. Images of the scan are reviewed by deputies when an inmate is booked into the jail.

During the tour, Lane pointed out a special needs pod for inmates dealing with mental health issues. After going through detox, inmates are evaluated for medication by a part-time psychiatrist. When released from jail, the inmate is referred to the Grand Lake Mental Health Center for follow up services. Providing mental health treatment stops the vicious cycle of the person relapsing and returning to jail, he said.

“Grand Lake has done an incredible job cutting red tape to see the person on the day of release,” he said. “I can’t say enough good things about Grand Lake.”

The jail continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Lane said inmates are tested when they appear sick. After a positive test, the inmate is placed in isolation for ten days.

The jail allows visitation on Wednesday morning from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. at a visitation room on the first floor of the jail. The free service allows inmates to visit by telephone remotely in the jail. For a fee, family and friends can also visit through a video call placed from their residence. Since allowing video calls, the number of people who come to the jail for visitation has declined dramatically, Lane said.

The Payne County jail has avoided the problems that have plagued the Oklahoma County jail since it was opened in 1991. Chairman Chris Reding observed that the jail was well maintained and didn’t look much different from when it was opened in 2009.

In other business, the commissioners removed multiple tasers from the inventory of the Payne County Sheriff. The tasers are over ten years old and will be junked, Sheriff Joe Harper said.

The commissioners selected a bid from B&L Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. to install a new chiller for the jail. The selection was based on Lane’s recommendation. He said the bid of $282,000 was the best, based on the warranty and service provisions in the bid.

The commissioners approved paying 129 weekly purchase orders totaling 228,621. At the request of District 1 Commissioner Zach Cavett, the commissioners placed one purchase order for $221.85 to Atwood Distributing on hold. The purchase order was for a pair of steel toe boots to be paid from the Solid Waste Management fund.

Cavett said he would like to have a uniform policy on purchasing the boots. Employees in his department must purchase steel toe boots at their own expense.

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