Brandi Garner, CEO of the Oklahoma County Detention Center, is stepping down.

Garner announced her resignation on Friday, just days after the State Department of Health issued an extremely critical inspection report of the jail. Her last day will be February 7, 2025.
In her resignation letter, Garner said her decision to step down was not a reaction to “recent challenges.”
“It is the result of several weeks of careful deliberation,” Garner wrote, “and a desire to prioritize my family life, spiritual growth, and personal wellbeing.”
Garner joined the jail trust as the interim CEO in December 2022 and then took on the position permanently the following May. She succeeded Greg Williams, who left during an earlier wave of the same safety concerns plaguing the jail.
The jail has failed more than six surprise health inspections since 2021 – many of which were failed by default because jail administrators barred investigators from entering the premises.
Substantial deficiencies were reported during the latest investigation, which took place in early and mid-December. The state released a 72-page document revealing problems with staffing, sanitation, safety and documentation, deeming the facility “not in substantial compliance" with state regulations.
Inadequate staffing and supervision
The report chronicled a severe staffing shortage, contributing to unsafe conditions and inadequate supervision of detainees, particularly those requiring heightened observation for special circumstances, like suicide watch.
According to the investigation, detention officers were assigned to cover up to 27 housing pods at once, each containing a large number of detainees, making it difficult to monitor inmate activity.
Jail staff either failed to conduct hundreds of sight checks or failed to record them. Jail administration also did not provide inspectors with sight check records for inmates discovered dead in their cells, including those on Feb. 26, May 28, May 31 and Sept. 26, 2024; nor for a suicide on April 11, 2024, nor an attempted suicide on Dec. 4.
Unsanitary conditions
Widespread unsanitary conditions were documented throughout the facility, including dirty cells, debris buildup and black residue, overflowing toilets and stagnant water in mop sinks.
Inmates reported limited access to cleaning supplies and said they were forced to use personal hygiene products to clean their cells. Inmates also consistently reported being offered showers only once or twice a week, violating a state-mandated minimum.
Detainee mattresses were cracked, torn and missing covers, meaning they were exposed to potential fluids, parasites and other contaminants.. Because they couldn’t be properly sanitized, the bedding was also more susceptible to contamination by mice and bedbugs, both of which were documented inside the jail.
Safety concerns
The State Department of Health wrote that obscured windows on cell doors impede the staff’s ability “to ensure a positive presence of a living, breathing, human body” during sight checks.
Several cells were too poorly lit and the facility's layout and cell size were flagged as potentially violations of minimum square footage requirements.
Concerns about the functionality of emergency telephone and alarm systems were also reported.
Prescribed medications often failed to be disseminated or were given in the wrong dosage and some detainees were found to be improperly in possession of their medications, despite rules prohibiting it.
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