New Okla. County Jail Administrator Says Meeting Sheriff's Deadline To Take Over Won't Be Easy

The man who will soon become administrator of the Oklahoma County Jail said he will not be able to take control January 1, as the sheriff has demanded. 

“It’s a big complicated organization with a lot of moving parts and the mission of the jail is critical to public safety, the safety of the staff, safety of the people that come into that facility,” future Jail Administrator Greg Williams said. “It’s something, in my mind, you don’t want to put together real quick.”

In October Sheriff P.D. Taylor said he will walk away from the jail January 1, and a district attorney opinion says he can do that whenever he wants.

“I will have a learning curve to get some things started,” Williams said. “So really, I’m going to say that’s not possible.”

With Taylor’s support the trust unanimously selected Williams last month.

“It doesn’t seem to be a jail that the community is proud of, that the staff are proud of, or really the citizens of Oklahoma County are proud of,” he said.

Williams spent nearly 37 years working for the Oklahoma State Department of Corrections.

“The jail needs to be a humane place safe for staff to work at. A place staff feel like they are making a difference,” Williams said.

Asked whether he will need a new jail building, Williams said, “I’m not sure, and again, I’ll take my first look at that probably later this week, early next week and we’ll just start at the ground and go through it and see what’s there.”

Whenever the transition occurs, Williams will take control from the sheriff’s department, including Taylor’s $30 million jail budget.

“My plan is to get along with Sheriff Taylor, he’s on the trust, he’s a member of the trust, I’ve met with him, I’ve talked with him. There’s no personal animosity or anything with that. So no, I look forward to working with Sheriff Taylor,” Williams said. “He’s a key partner.”

Williams said he looks forward to building relationships with jail employees and inmates.

“I look back at my career with corrections, over 36 years, I can’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but I can tell you who. I can tell you the inmates that I think I’ve had an impact on and have certainly had an impact on me. And I think both of our lives are better as a result and that’s how I’ll measure my tenure at the jail,” Williams said.

Watch full interview below: