Open records request for texts, emails concerning proposed jail site answered after months of waiting
DEL CITY, Okla. (KFOR) – The Oklahoma City council will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow a new jail at its proposed location. The site, approved by Oklahoma County Commissioners, will sit along Grand Blvd near the Oklahoma City – Del City border.
A block away, off Bryant Ave., Robert Koon has a yellow sign in front of his house.
"I think this will be effective enough to get people's attention," said Koon, who has lived in his home for 47 years.
The small sign reads “no jail here.” Koon said it has led to a lot of conversations with his neighbors about the proposed site for the new jail.
He said he plans to attend Tuesday’s city council meeting as council members decide the site’s fate. Gina Standridge has been to every meeting dealing with the jail site. She started to question the process.
"It just led me to think maybe more about what's going on," said Standridge.
She, along with Del City mayor Floyd Easton, filed an open records request in February to determine how commissioners and interested parties finalized the Del City location.
She said the request asked for text messages and emails between Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson, a member of the Jail Bond Oversight Committee, and Crooked Oaks Superintendent Bradley Richards. Standridge said after waiting four months with no movement on her request she turned to the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office Thursday.
"We signed a complaint that we were not getting the open records that we had requested," said Standridge.
Standridge said late Monday afternoon she started receiving the requested records and was working to comb through them.
“They were having conversations about the site all the way back in December and January, when they were talking to Crooked Oaks,” said Standridge.
She also said some city officials were mentioned, referring to “getting their votes in line” for the upcoming jail site vote Monday.
Commissioner Davidson sent News 4 a statement on Monday:
“Last week, I was informed of an open records request that had unfortunately been overlooked by my office. Upon learning of this oversight, I ensured that the proper records were submitted. As an elected official, I understand the importance of diligently fulfilling such requests and the responsibility I hold to our constituents.
During this process, I also discovered that the county currently does not have a policy on responding to open records requests. I am committed to changing this to enhance transparency and better serve our community. Moving forward, I will work to ensure that all open records requests are handled efficiently and that our county and my office upholds the highest standards of transparency.”
Davidson also told KFOR the records needed to be cleared by the DA’s office. When News 4 reached out to the DA’s office they said, “the DA’s Office has no involvement in open records requests of county elected officials or other county agencies. I believe the sheriff’s office has delivered the complain to our office. If a crime has occurred – after being investigated by law enforcement and presented to our office – we could prosecute.”