Oklahoma County jail set to put air conditioning back on
The Associated Press - May 4, 2019 8:22 am
(Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma County commissioners have agreed to turn on the air conditioning at the county jail even though pipes still need to be repaired.
The Oklahoman reports that the commissioners voted Thursday to put the Oklahoma County Jail air cooling system on May 13th, nearly three weeks before the repair work is scheduled to be completed.
The decision comes after Public Defender Bob Ravitz warned that lives are at a risk from hot conditions inside the jail. The temperatures Thursday morning ranged from 76 to 85 degrees in inhabited pods.
There are 1,610 inmates detained in the 13-story jail.
Sheriff P.D. Taylor says the air conditioning hasn’t worked since March 8th because a contractor is fixing pipes that are vital to the system’s function.