Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

The Washington County Commissioners conducted their annual inspection of the Washington County Correctional Facility in accordance to Oklahoma State Statute on Monday morning.

The jail tour was previously tabled in January due to COVID-19. Commissioner Mitch Antle said they were proud of the focus Sheriff Scott Owen and the jail staff has on maintaining the 11-year-old facility moving forward. Antle said they're maintenance minded. He said the biggest down fall of civilization is maintenance, because you can build things all day, but it won't matter if it's not maintained.

Sheriff Owen said he's thankful for the support of the Commissioners. Owen said the Washington County Sheriff's Office prides itself as having one of the finest jails in the State of Oklahoma. He said they have no problems with maintenance or inmates because they receive the proper funding when needed and inmate issues are addressed immediately.

Sheriff Owen said the WCSO is regulated by the state and a jail inspector could walk in at any given time. Owen said these random inspections have occurred plenty of times in the past couple of years. He said the state's inspectors are always welcomed any time they want to come and inspection the jail.

Staffing is a topic that Sheriff Owen would like to address. Sheriff Owen said it's difficult to retain detention officers because some use it as a stepping stone into a law enforcement career. Owen said they don't have a lot of negative turnover, however, he would like to add more people per shift.

There is a staffing goal to add two officers in the surveillance tower for constant security. Sheriff Owen said they will install another computer in the tower to make this possible. He said they want this to take place so that there are more eyes on everyone to ensure the continuance of everyone's safety while making sure that the jail's operation is running smoothly.

The WCSO is also working out a plan to replace more heat and air units, kitchen equipment and bedding. Sheriff Owen said they recently upgraded the bedding to six-inch mats to provide a better living environment for the inmates. He said they used to have two to three-inch mats.

Sheriff Owen said it costs approximately $500,000 to $750,000 on maintenance and operations alone. He said the includes food, repairs, and much more.