Jail Trust Votes To Hire Consultant For Oklahoma County Detention Center

The Oklahoma County jail trust is hiring some help to deal with the piling list of problems at the detention center downtown.

The trust voted this week to hire David Parker as a consultant. He previously worked as administrator of the Tulsa County Jail until last November.

According to the Oklahoman, Parker also spent 31 years at the Oklahoma Department of Corrections finishing there as a division two director.

In Tulsa, Parker was brought on by Sheriff Vic Regalado after former sheriff Stanley Glanz was indicted by a grand jury and resigned.

The jail trust voted eight to one to hire Parker, his pay will be capped at $20,000.

The Oklahoma County Jail is grappling with the fallout from a deadly hostage situation last month and trying to clean up health violations discovered by the state health department.

They're also trying to hire more officers to relieve a staff shortage.

Some state lawmakers are calling on the federal government to step in at the jail.

Members of the Oklahoma Legislative Black Caucus sent a letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, asking the Department of Justice to intervene.