By Sgt. Doug Justus
King County’s budget crisis is real. Property values are down, and people just aren’t making as many purchases, leading to reductions to the county’s property and sales tax revenues. Most of the county’s general fund budget is spent on criminal justice, thus those programs take the hit when reductions become necessary. Dangerous cuts to public safety are now being proposed.
King County Proposition 1, currently on your ballot, would raise the sales tax by 0.2 percent, providing enough new revenue to avoid these cuts. We hope voters will approve Prop 1, but even if they don’t, some cuts go too far and must be avoided. Among those cuts is the current proposal to break faith with the voters of South King County, and close the county’s jail in Kent to inmate bookings.
The budget transmitted to the County Council would close inmate bookings at the Maleng RJC jail in Kent, forcing police officers from South King County to transport prisoners into downtown Seattle.
In 1992, the voters of King County approved a bond measure to build the Regional Justice Center in Kent. One of the key promises made by the county to the cities and citizens of south King County was that King County sheriff’s deputies and local police would be able to book prisoners in Kent, avoiding the long drives to Seattle. We must honor that promise. Especially with reduced staffing levels, police should be patrolling neighborhoods, not wasting time stuck in traffic on I-5.
Forcing all bookings into the downtown jail will make our system far less efficient and will probably not save the county any money! The downtown Seattle intake system will be overwhelmed, reducing security. More staff will be needed to transport prisoners from Seattle back to Kent after they are booked. When this option was proposed in the 2009 budget, the Council rejected it because it would make our entire system less efficient and would not result in a savings to the county.
Closing the Kent RJC jail to bookings is terrible public policy. Forcing police officers to wait in traffic, then wait in a long line at the Seattle jail in order to book prisoners will make South King County neighborhoods less safe. We hope the voters will approve new revenue for public safety in November, but the Council must keep the RJC jail open to bookings, regardless of the voters’ decision.
We urge south King County citizens to make their voices heard during this budget process. For more information on the budget and how to express an opinion, visit the King County Council website. And call the King County Council at 206-296-1000
Doug Justus, West Seattle, is the president of the King County Corrections Guild. The Guild represents the Corrections Officers and Sergeants who work in King County’s two adult detention facilities.
