OKLAHOMA CITY — With the Friday announcement of a jail death that allegedly occurred over one week ago, the news media was given notice that information would not be as available to the media as it once had about in-custody deaths.
The brief email from Oklahoma County Detention Center PIO Mark Opgrande had very slim information about the in-custody death of Jeremiah Coffey, age 22, who was found “unresponsive in his cell” on January 21.
The email said that he was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
New policy with media
The email contained only one paragraph about the new policy on OCDC information given to the news media. This is the entire paragraph:
This notification is being issued following a recent update to our media notification procedures. While the incident occurred last week, the timing of this release is not intended to withhold or delay information. The Oklahoma County Detention Center has revised its process to ensure consistent, accurate communication while active investigations are underway. Under this updated procedure, the facility will release the individual’s name and date of the incident, with additional details provided if and when appropriate.
Free Press will continue to give updates on the policy when significant information becomes available and continue to report news about jail deaths.
Brett is the founder, and editor in chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He continues to contribute reporting and photography to the efforts of the publication as well as leadership in developing support.
