Oklahoma Co. Jail Could Face Daily $10,000 Fines For Barring State Inspectors

The Oklahoma State Health Department is beefing up its legal response after being denied entry into the Oklahoma County Jail twice for routine inspections.

Last week, the facility was served with an administrative compliance order from State Health Commissioner Keith Reed ordering the facility to either allow inspectors in, begin paying hefty fines, or be prepared to appear before an administrative law judge.

The order is an avenue for Reed to flex the enforcement muscle of his office after state health inspectors reported they were turned away twice over the past month, leading to the facility’s 12th and 13th consecutive failed inspection.

An assistant district attorney had previously argued the health department doesn’t have the authority to perform unannounced inspections as it has hundreds of times across the state, Reed called the assertion “broad sweeping and wholly unsupported.”

Following a News 9 open records request, for the first time, we are getting a glimpse at what inspectors saw the most recent time they were behind bars in the Oklahoma County Jail during an unannounced visit in July of 2023.

Inspectors reported and photographed a dead mouse, bed bugs smashed by a roll of toilet paper, bed bug bites, and “over 80 live cockroaches.” Inspectors also reviewed sight check logs which they reported showed state-mandated hourly cell checks were not being done.

Monday, the jail sent News 9 photos of freshly painted showers, new mattresses, a new cleaning system, and a full-time pest control applicator.

A jail spokesman said the facility is declining to speak directly about the Department of Health inspections but pointed to the improvements and a citizen’s advisory board whose members visit the jail once a month.

“Through dedication and hard work by our staff, we strive to create a clean and safe environment within the jail, ensuring dignity and respect for every resident,” Jail Communications Director Mark Opgrande said in a statement.

After twice turning away inspectors for this year’s review, the county offered to host inspectors on one of three prescheduled dates in July and August.

“As it stands now, the county is simply communicating its desire to stage conditions for inspections, manipulating circumstances to bear the most favorable, even if inaccurate, results,” Reed said in a letter responding to the facility. “This is deeply concerning.”

If jail officials refuse to comply with Reed’s order, they could be setting themselves up to be fined. According to the Oklahoma administrative code, it could be up to $10,000 for every day they don’t allow inspectors in.

The jail has until July 31 to respond to the order.