LAWTON – Comanche County has tapped the interim administrator of the Comanche County Detention Center to serve as its new leader.
The Comanche County Facilities Authority, which is made up of the three county commissioners, voted 2-0 July 22 to hire Interim Administrator David Weber to fill the jail’s top leadership role. Interim Commissioner Trent Logan abstained from voting because he disagreed with the board’s proposal to pay Weber $90,000 for the first year instead of $95,000.
The salary proposal was Logan’s only reason for abstaining from the vote, he said after the meeting.
“I want him (Weber) there 100%,” he said. “My opinion was, give him what he asked for.”
‘Seeing numerous improvements’ Weber has worked for CCDC for about seven years, he said in a July 22 email to Southwest Ledger. He began as a detention officer and served in different roles over the next several years, including stints as a shift supervisor and in the transportation unit, before becoming the jail’s captain in charge of investigations.
He served in that role until four months ago, when he became the jail’s interim administrator after then-Administrator William Hobbs retired.
Weber’s performance as the interim administrator impressed Commission Chairman Josh Powers, who serves as the liaison between the commission and the jail.
“He’s turned around the direction of CCDC, in my opinion,” Powers said. “I’m seeing numerous improvements across the board, such as policies and procedures all the way to health department issues that are being addressed.”
Powers said he asked Weber what it would take to keep him on board at the jail, and Weber requested a salary toward the higher end of what the county had advertised for the position. Powers said that was completely reasonable, but he wanted to leave some room for improvement.
“I believe that if we started him at the $90,000 mark, which is in the middle of what we advertised that job at, it will leave it open for, basically, a one-year probationary period for the first year,” he said.
Powers said he would like to have his staff draw up a list of tasks for Weber to finish, such as updating the jail’s policies and procedures and addressing any problems identified by the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
“As long as he can get those things accomplished within his first year, then I think it would be appropriate to give him the $5,000 additional at the start of his second year,” he said.
Commissioner Johnny Owens said he was satisfied with Weber’s performance at CCDC.
“He does a great job, and I think he’s going to do a better job now that things can be leveled out a little bit,” he said. “So as far as I’m concerned, welcome aboard.”
‘A long road ahead’ Weber said in his email that he is working on solutions to the problems facing the jail, including overcrowding.
“I have been working with the county commissioners to find a permanent solution to the overcrowding,” he said. “I have looked into some promising solutions, but this kind of thing takes time. The overcrowding is something I’ve been monitoring closely and report on weekly to the board.”
The state health department has said CCDC cannot accommodate more than 283 inmates at a time, which prompted Comanche County officials to explore ways to reduce overcrowding.
To ease the housing crunch, CCDC sends some of its inmates to out-of-county jails. The county currently has inmate housing contracts with six other counties: Tillman, Grady, Greer, Okmulgee, Pottawatomie and Seminole – which helps CCDC keep its average daily population below the state-mandated limit.
Weber said his goals include ensuring CCDC’s policies are up to date, finding better training opportunities for staffers and making sure the jail operates safely, securely and humanely.
“We have a long road ahead,” he said. “There are a lot of changes that need to be made, and a lot of changes that have already been made.”