There are many great and wonderful things to see and do here in the Metro, and I love living here. I am not a negative person, but the current state of law enforcement and prosecution in Oklahoma County is terrible. We have the Oklahoma County jail, overcrowded, drugs readily available and really not much more than a zoo. Inmates are fed very small portions of substandard food in their small 3 person cells right by the cell toilet. If their families don't put money on their "book" so they can buy commissary items, they nearly starve. Also inmates must pay for any doctor visit they receive. Those without family to aid them financially are not treated. Phone calls are outrageous at $3.95 for 15 minutes, with the county getting a hefty percentage. Say criminals deserve poor treatment if you want, but there are innocent people there as well. Small wonder sentenced people are thrilled to be sent on to state prison where conditions are MUCH better. Sheriff John Whetsel should be held accountable, but his own employees state that "He is unbeatable in court" We have a few, not many, overly aggressive police officers. Whatever they do wrong, Wes Lane will not prosecute them. They have literally gotten away with murder in numerous documented cases. Lane, sworn to uphold the law, evidently does not care about police brutality, might affect his re-election bid, which leads to the next item. Judges in Oklahoma County (and in all fairness, most places) are usually ex-prosecutors, so we all know they are strongly biased for the prosecution. No wonder we have a Sheriff who is unbeatable in court. You see, judges actually know that cops routinely lie in court, because the same cops lied for them when they were prosecutors! Find me a judge here who will believe the testimony of any witness over a cop. So the accused has his defense attorney in the courtroom, but is facing two prosecutors, one of Mr. Lanes crew and one supposedly a fair and unbiased trial judge, but not. Both of these individuals sole aim is conviction, not in finding the truth. Like the rest of America, our criminal justice system is totally out of control. The shame is, that in Oklahoma County, it's even worse than almost anywhere else, even worse than many third world countries. I'm not advocating coddling criminals, but give them a fair trial, feed them adequately, give them necessary medical treatment and treat them like human beings. Purge the crooked and abusive police officers, prosecute them for wrongdoing like any other citizen. Appoint judges from prosecutors, public defenders and private attorneys. Get real fairness in the trial courts. As the public, we must do a better job, and stop voting for those "public servants" who allow these illegal, outrageous and inhumane abuses to continue unchecked. These words are one man's opinion. Thank you for reading them.

I agree as to the police officers and jail conditions, both should be improved. As to judges though -- first, it matters very little what their personal biases are, less than 1% of criminal cases actually ever go to trial. Second, when they do, they are often jury cases. Third, there are actually quite a few judges up there on the 5th floor (and others) that are known as "hanging judges", but there are also a few who aren't. The judges that I know (and I will almost guarantee that I know a lot more of them than you do) are professionals in every sense of the word and would never consider allowing their personal biases to cloud their judgements as to the law, although, I know at least one who might.

The police officer situation is the same in every county and municipal government that I have ever seen. You have good cops and bad cops, and the good cops cover for the bad cops. A good friend of mine was beaten up by several cops in the metro pretty badly. They ended up making up charges (assaulting an officer) to keep themselves out of trouble. They did everything from give him a good 4 minute beating (mostly striking his back and face) to letting their dog maul him. He spent a good deal of time in the emergency room. The cops faced no disciplinary charges, and the several other officers that witnessed the event couldn't remember anything. Surprisingly (not) the prosecutor gave this friend a pretty good deal (dropping all of the felonies) in exchange for the civil lawsuit against the police force being dropped. The cops? They're still patrolling the streets, not so much as a blemish on their record.

Finally, as to the jail, it's a matter of priorities. I'd rather the county spend money on roads and infrastructure improvements than a jail. The worse the jail is, the more folks won't want to go there. Posting bail isn't really that tough, and perhaps it should be made easier to get more of the property and drug crime type folks out of there. Whetsel's proposition for a 100 million dollar rennovation is just laughable though.

Indeed, there aren't many jury trials in Oklahoma County because people take the "deal" instead of the 20 year risk if they go to trial. People are forced to plead guilty of ALL charges, many or all of which they are innocent. Nevertheless, many will not risk 20 years of their life and give up one or two years instead. Yes, Oklahoma County sends innocent people to prison. Look at the slew of D.N.A. tests releasing innocents here and nationally. Yes, There are some fair judges here, of course, but a jury trial is the only way to ensure that you'll be treated fairly in Oklahoma County. This is vividly illustrated by the "judge shopping" most defense attorneys try to do. Many families cannot afford bail, or a convicted inmate is doing his six month wait for a bed to open in the grossly overcrowded Department of Corrections.

Cops have always had the "blue code of silence". Thats why videos should be used more. Sheriff Whetsel will not release jail videos of inmate beatings. Unbeatable in court? Certainly, when the whole system lets you do as you please, does not demand the hard evidence and rarely charges anyone for this sadistic and inhumane behavior. I'll bet those bad cops and jailers who dispense beatings and worse to helpless, outnumbered, bound and gagged persons are really proud of themselves for being so tough. Maybe if the victim is in a wheelchair, it makes them extra tough and brave. There are really good cops and Sheriff's Dept. employees in Oklahoma County. I agree with you.

I don't believe throwing money at the jail problem is the answer either. Demand proper behavior and discipline of the guards and enforce it. No more beatings. If a fight breaks out with an inmate, the video should either be be made public or gone over by a CIVILIAN review board, instead of only the fox watching the henhouse. Negotiate contracts for quality food and make certain it is well prepared. Quality is free, but you must demand it in your supplies, or you won't get it. The Oklahoma County jail lacks managemnet and it lacks accountability. Thanks for your excellent thoughts Midtowner.

Those who have never worked close to this system really lack an understanding of its flaws. They assume that if you're charged, you're probably guilty. In most cases, you're guilty of SOMETHING, but the cops typically add things in there like resisting arrest, assaulting an officer, etc. not only to cover themselves from potential lawsuits for their own misconduct, but to also give you something to think about when it comes time to take the deal.

A big problem is defense attorneys and their lack of expertise. We have a phrase around our office for them "maggot lawyers". These guys deal almost strictly in criminal cases, DUI's, etc. they will typically take about $500 per case, go to the courthouse for their clients, get their paperwork, stand in the long line that forms in front of the Assistant D.A., listen to the A.D.A.'s recommendation, immediately accept it, fill out their paperwork, and commend their client to the state. This is not always the case, but it is pretty typical, especially at the lower end of the price scale.

Your recommendations are interesting. I'd take it a step further though, as a city, the best place to start would be to fund an internal affairs unit that reports directly to the mayor/city council and is funded seperately from the rest of the police force. Next, I'd do the same thing with the prosecutor that prosecuted internal affairs cases -- make it so that he does not answer to the D.A. -- he/she should be either appointed by the city council or elected by popular vote (I tend to favor the latter). Finally, the jail is a tough place, and it is not so simple as telling guards to stop beating up inmates -- many inmates warrant that type of treatment (a friend of mine used to work at the OKC jail). Honestly, I don't think Whetsel has the budget to deal with the problem. I think it would be an extremely complicated and expensive problem to fix.

Again, thanks for your excellent comments and suggestiions, Midtowner. I am not in the legal profession, so you are certainly much closer to the prosecution/judge/courthouse situation than I. A speeding ticket 20 years ago is the sum total of my criminal past, so I have little experience with the legal process. I would just like to see the current system improved and brought under reasonable control. Perhaps by brainstorming the problems together, workable solutions can be found. We have a responsibility as citizens to peacefully try to change that which we feel is wrong in our society.

Besides newspaper accounts of violence at the jail and that which former Oklahoma county jail inmates have related to me, I have a neighbor whose son was beaten to death by guards and/or police officers at the Oklahoma county jail a few years ago. Having seen the very graphic autopsy photos, I am appalled that this could occur in these United States. The parents of the deceased have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the "unbeatable" one himself, Sheriff Whetsel, and others. I hope the parents find justice, but I have my doubts for numerous "Oklahoma county" reasons, some of which are mentioned above. These parents aren't really seeking the money such a suit must demand, they seek the acknowledgement of wrongdoing and more importantly, the punishment of their child's uncharged killers. They are trying to stop the madness, before someone else's child is brutally slain by Oklahoma City/Oklahoma county sponsored above-the-law-because-we-are-the-law misfits. Since it is a pending legal case, I will say no more about it here.

Have a great day.