In split decisions, Comanche County Commissioners voted June 22 to spend $1.26 million on insurance policies purchased from the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma.
All three commissioners voted to pay ACCO’s Self-Insured Fund (SIF) $235,724 for a workers’ compensation insurance policy for Comanche County employees.
However, the commissioners divided 2-1 on paying ACCO’s Self-Insured Group (SIG) $590,572 for property and liability insurance. District 2 Commissioner Johnny Owens and District 1 Commissioner Ryan John voted “yes” but District 3 Commissioner Josh Powers voted “no.”
Convening as the Comanche County Facilities Authority (CCFA), which administers the Comanche County Detention Center (CCDC), the commissioners voted unanimously to pay ACCO-SIF $110,251 for workers’ compensation insurance for Fiscal Year 2026-27. Two months ago the Detention Center had 83 employees, jail Administrator David Weber told Southwest Ledger.
When the CCFA voted on whether to purchase property and liability insurance from ACCO-SIG, at a cost of $327,665, the commissioners again split 2-1, with Powers voting “no.” That policy covers only the building and the CCDC’s vehicles, but a year ago ACCO dropped the CCFA’s liability coverage for anything that occurs inside the detention center.
In a related matter, the Facilities Authority authorized Weber to complete and submit a Law Enforcement Liability (LEL) application to Public Risk Underwriters of Texas. “We’ll be offered a quote for law enforcement liability insurance,” Weber told the commissioners.
Additionally, the Facilities Authority voted unanimously to pay Paramount Claims Service $20,000 to serve as a third-party administrator for LEL claims handling during the period the CCDC has no LEL coverage for jail operations in Fiscal Year 2027 (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027). Paramount also will assist in coordinating risk control/inspection services to support underwriting.
“The detention center is without Law Enforcement Liability coverage for jail operations,” noted David Cooper with Insurica, an insurance brokerage in Lawton. “That makes it difficult when you’re going to the market for coverage. Having an experienced LEL third-party administrator in place helps maintain claims-handling integrity and provides structure that aligns with what underwriters typically expect when evaluating the risk.”
Paramount, which is based in Louisiana, will seek to have an independent jail inspection performed on the CCDC, Cooper said.