Vacating the Premises

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE plans are shelved for now at the new Kingfisher County Justice Center. Sheriff Dennis Banther said the decision was made to move inmates in last week to accommodate a sudden influx of females, which exceeded the old jail’s capacity to segregate inmates by gender. While a professional moving company relocated files and equipment from the old jail, a borrowed school bus driven and manned by law enforcement transported inmates on Wednesday. Staff members who have been training for several months in the new facility are now putting those skills to work. Photo above, Reserves Sgt. Corey Thompson works at one of the deputy computer stations as Banther looks on; top left, Jail Administrator Rechele Hirom at work in her office; top right, Detention Officer Dillon Booth sits in the elevated control tower, where he has a line-of-sight view of both tiers of the two cell pods, as well as video feeds to all areas of the building, center right; Banther demonstrates the videophones in the visitation room, bottom right; Sgt. Nathan Mowdy and fellow detention officer Daniel Mendoza, at left, set up equipment in the inmate booking area. [KT&FP Staff Photos]