Debbie Cato, interim jail administrator, reported 57 male and female inmates were transferred after lunch. She said the transfer went well.
"It went great, everybody was moved in, fed and then we put them to bed," Cato said. "We had no problems. So far so good, and I thank God that everything went well."
The jail was inspected last week by state inspectors who required that two more elements be completed before prisoners were moved. They asked that a new Offender Data Information System (ODIS), through which prisoners are booked, be set up at the new jail before prisoners are moved, and that the kitchen be supplied with perishables such as fresh vegetables and meat before prisoners were moved, Cato said.
A new ODIS system was installed and the perishable foods were ordered last week. Cato said the inmates' supper was already being prepared in the new jail's kitchen as the prisoners were transferred.
New Booking System Set Up
Cato said the new ODIS system was required because the administration of the jail is now under the Sequoyah County Criminal Justice Authority rather than Sheriff Johnny Philpot. Philpot has objected to the administration change, and has said he is considering a lawsuit. Philpot serves on the authority along with the three county commissioners and Joe Peters of Sallisaw.
Peters asked the attorney general's office to investigate the authority because he questions its organization under state statutes. The attorney general's office declined to investigate last week. A spokesman for the attorney general's office said the office only accepts investigation requests from elected officials, as set out in state laws.
Cato said Tiger Commissary company also prepared hygiene packets for the prisoners on one day's notice since the prisoners did not bring their hygiene products from the old jail. The packets include toothbrushes and toothpaste, razors and other necessities.
Detention Officers Praised
"The old and new jailers are working well together," Cato said.
The jail is staffed by newly hired and trained detention officers and jailers formerly employed by Philpot.
Cato praised the staff for their work in getting the new jail open.
"Shane McHale, the jail operations manager, has been wonderful," she said. "I don't know what I'd do without this staff. They do whatever I tell them too. They can bring me a problem and then they take care of it."
Cato said Thomas Ysbrand, originally hired as the jail administrator who resigned after a conflict with District 3 Commissioner Cleon Harrell who chairs the authority, chose a "good crew," Cato said. "He got us started and they just kept going after he resigned.
"And we appreciate the old jailers help. They've helped train us."
Cato said the detention officers took numerous training courses and formed various teams for emergencies. "We have a fire committee, we've trained for emergency evacuations, the search process, how to be observant, how to operate the central control panel, learned everything from handcuffing to how to subdue an unruly prisoner. Many times the staff has trained themselves."
Cato said the detention officers even put together new furniture when it arrived at the new jail and cleaned the jail before inmates were transferred.
"Everybody's pulled together to make it a good transition," she said.
No Decision On Open House
Cato said she doesn't know whether the authority will plan an open house for the public. "It will be a little hard now since the prisoners are here," she said. "All we could do is bring them up to the tower and show them how the system works."
The entire inmate area is under the scrutiny of detention officers who staff a tower one floor above the inmate area. The tower and a central control panel allow the detention officers to observe all prisoners, open and close all doors in the jail, and monitor activities outside the jail.
The sheriff and his staff are also located in the new jail building.
The building was also designed so that prisoners may be moved quickly from the jail to the courtrooms in the county courthouse along a secure corridor.
The new jail, which has a capacity of 112, was originally scheduled to open in July 2002, but building and financing problems extended the opening date by 15 months.
