Last Updated on December 6, 2022, 2:36 PM | Published: December 5, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY — The most notable and important item at the Oklahoma County Jail Trust meeting Monday was the resignation of Jail CEO Greg Williams.
Williams was the first CEO hired by the Trust after its formation in 2019. In that time, many projects to improve the material conditions inside the jail have been completed. Air handling, sewage, mold, and other unsafe conditions have been largely addressed using CARES Act money over the last two years.
However, critics say the changes have not been comprehensive. Under WIlliams’s tenure as CEO of the Jail, over thirty people detained in the Jail have died, 15 of those since January of 2022.
Public Comment
Monday’s meeting started with public comments, all of which pertained to WIlliams’s expected resignation,
The usual naysayers were present to voice their legitimate complaints about conditions at the Jail, and most laid the blame at the feet of Greg Williams.
Jess Eddy, well known activist, specifically said that when seeking a new or interim CEO, that a person who can build connections with the community is critical for the position.
Eddy contrasted with one speaker, Christopher Johnston, by saying it would not be to the benefit of the community to return the Jail to the oversight of law enforcement.
The only speaker to defend Williams in his position was a young man appearing by the name of Dr. Whiters. Whiters passionately made the point that in his experience of being incarcerated, changes at the top of the administration usually take several years to reach fruition. Whiters said that replacing Williams now will result in more deaths in the Jail.
Community Pressure
Readers may remember that just a month ago faith leaders and other concerned community leaders called on the Trust to ask for Williams’s removal from the Jail.
And, at the last meeting many clergy and community members addressed the Trust about their perceived need to eliminate Williams from his role. In the end, most trustees argued in support of Williams. Only Pastor Derrick Scobey moved to remove Williams, but his motion died for want of a second. The other Trust members defended WIlliams or made no statement
Report, then resignation
Attendees of Monday’s meeting might not have known Williams planned to resign, if based simply on his glowing report of operations at the Jail.
His report, a monthly item on the Trust’s agenda, was a tour through the good things happening at the Jail in recent times. Williams regaled the Trustees with improvements to the Jail under his watch.
- The Jail hired 12 new employees last month bringing the current total to 325
- There are currently no active COVID cases among detainees nor staff
- Some pods of cells are receiving out-of-cell time for 5 to 6 hours five days a week. Others are not.
On the topic of deaths at or from the Jail, a central concern of community members across the county, Trustee Sue Ann Arnall asked Williams for numbers depicting the saving of lives in the jail using tools such as Narcan to fight acute fentanyl poisoning, something that happens on occasions when drugs have been unexpectedly cut with the medical pain reliever.
Williams said that many times overdosing detainees have been revived using Narcan.
Williams also reported that the Jail population has steadily declined since the Trust took over operations, a statement that is partially true. The Jail had its lowest population in memory during the height of the pandemic, when the Oklahoma City Police Department was practicing a safer “cite and release” policy for low level offenses.
In more recent months, arrests have returned largely to pre-pandemic rates, making the Jail population rise back to just under 1,700. Currently 206 detainees are waiting for transfer to the custody of the Department of Justice.
Separation Agreement
During the Trust’s Executive Session, Williams officially tendered his resignation. After that session, the Trust returned to open session.
Trust Chairman Jim Couch read a statement about Williams’s resignation and detailed some terms of a separation agreement.
Williams will continue in his role for 45 days, staying on until the 19th of January. Williams will then be expected to assist in the transition to new leadership, and to offer consulting as needed and appropriate. Williams’s salary will be paid through the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2023).
Williams will have 21 days to consider this agreement. If he then signs, he will have seven days to change his mind.
Ben Brown
Former Senator Ben Brown, Vice-Chair of the Jail Trust, took time during the debate of the proposition to offer this separation agreement to excoriate community members who are opposed to Williams’s continued employment.
Brown referred to community members speaking against Williams as “rude.” He said further that the media has sensationalized the conditions at the Jail and that they have failed to investigate jail deaths after their announcements.
The Jail has not been forthcoming in details about Jail deaths at any point in the tenure of Williams or Brown.
The Trust will meet again on January 3 at 1:00 p.m.
Columnist covering local government in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County from May 2019 through June 2023.
