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Tulsa County Jail to serve as city's overflow lockup under new agreement

The sign in front of the David Moss Correctional Center, better known as the Tulsa Jail.
KWGS News
The sign in front of the David Moss Correctional Center, better known as the Tulsa Jail.

The City of Tulsa and the Tulsa County Sheriff have reached an agreement for inmates over the municipal jail’s limit to be held at the county jail.

The city jail has 25 beds for men and five for women, and it can hold people for up to 10 days on local charges like public intoxication or shoplifting. Tulsa Police Capt. Richard Meulenberg said TPD previously had agreements to take prisoners over the municipal jail’s limit to facilities outside of Tulsa County.

"We are still responsible to bring these people to the jail. So, an officer, if it's overflowed here, well, it makes it a lot easier for them to then go to Tulsa County, which is literally a half a mile away," Meulenberg said.

Under the agreement, the city is to pay the sheriff $63.42 per prisoner per day.

The municipal jail opened in 2018. It is overseen by TPD and staffed by a private firm under contract with the city.

The city announced plans for the jail in 2017 after a protracted feud with the county over the daily fees to hold an inmate. The overflow agreement runs through June 2022.

"So, I think this time around, we've been able to avoid that. And hopefully, I believe this contract will extend eventually, and I hope that we can continue working together in partnership without all the political and internal fighting that occurred in the past," said Sheriff Vic Regalado.

City prisoners will be released from the county jail once they complete their sentence or upon a municipal judge's order.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.
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