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An inspection of the Washington County Detention Center in Bartlesville was conducted by the Washington County Commissioners on Monday morning.

Commissioner Mike Dunlap said he was very pleased by what he saw during the inspection. He said the building looks just as good as it did when it was built 10 years ago.

As many as 240 inmates have been in the Washington County Detention Center before. Approximately 170 inmates are housed there at present.

Commissioner Dunlap said it is a big operation to run, but that the facility is in capable hands. He said he believes Sheriff Scott Owen, Undersheriff Jon Copeland, Jail Administrator James Pendergraft, and the staff, run the sixth largest Detention Center in the State of Oklahoma.

Architects in Partnership based out of Norman designed the Detention Center in Bartlesville a decade ago. Commissioner Dunlap said the firm recommends to potential customers across the state to view the jail before they come up with a design concept for their own facilities.

Looking ahead, Commissioner Dunlap said the agreement with Tyler Technologies will be the biggest change to come to the Washington County Detention Center. He said Tyler Technologies will help manage the WCDC's software and jail management system.

While it will take some time, Commissioner Dunlap said this system will be more efficient. This will help the Washington County Sheriff's Office coordinate well with the Bartlesville Police Department. This will also allow them to better document that the inmates are getting the proper treatment and care they need while they are in confinement.

This eliminates paper logs for cell checks. Jail Administrator Pendergraft said a system called "Guardian" is a desktop system that will give a notification on when check-ups and security checks need to happen. This occurs every 40 minutes. Log can be manually entered into the system, too.

A security tower is installed towards the heart of the Washington County Detention Center. This is where the surveillance across the facility can be used. Pendergraft said on deputy or guard has to be in the tower at all times. The person on-duty in the tower permits or denies access to various areas throughout the jail at all times. This is not managed by Tyler Technologies, but rather the WCDC's personal IT Department. It has been this way since the building was built.

When Pendergraft started in 2008, the jail used to be in the basement of the Washington County Courthouse located along Johnstone Ave. in Downtown Bartlesville. He said the new facility is miles better than the old one.

Aside from security, the inmates get three meals a day. Two hot meals and one cold meal is the minimum. Pendergraft said they spend $3,000 to $5,000 on food a week. He said this depend on the number of inmates in the jail. The food is cooked by Jail Trustees (who are inmates).