A meals battle between elected officers in Seattle and King County over jail insurance policies ought to have been averted years in the past.
Leaders should instantly cease the posturing and rationally chart out a course that makes the very best use of obtainable sources whereas acknowledging that dependable detention is an integral part of any public security technique.
At a Seattle Metropolis Council briefing on July 23, interim Police Chief Sue Rahr and Seattle Metropolis Lawyer Ann Davison stated King County restrictions on misdemeanor jail bookings have been making enforcement of low-level crimes troublesome.
The subsequent day, King County Government Dow Constantine pushed again in an electronic mail his employees member despatched to Metropolitan King County Council members claiming, “factually inaccurate assertions and outright falsehoods being promulgated by representatives of the Metropolis of Seattle” and others.
Constantine’s workplace affirmed that limits on jail house are attributable to “severe staffing shortages” and never “philosophy or ideology” — though an inexpensive individual may marvel. Constantine has vowed to shut the juvenile detention heart. The Metropolitan King County Council just lately acquired a report it ordered on closing the downtown grownup jail and changing it with one thing smaller.
King County jails repeat offenders and others in particular circumstances, wrote Constantine’s employees member, including: “King County is open to having a dialog about increasing the record of bookable offenses.”
That sounded affordable. Too unhealthy it was instantly adopted by telling Seattle it may go some other place for jail companies, although the town pays King County $22 million yearly for 198 jail beds and solely about 80 are stuffed.
Sufficient!
A spokesman for Constantine later instructed The Instances that the manager was pissed off as a result of jail points have been mentioned at a Metropolis Council assembly “with out a chance for the County to be current …”
For 3 years, The Instances editorial board has urged Seattle and King County leaders — together with judges and prosecutors — to convene a public security summit to hash out these points, significantly the jail.
In 2022, we wrote: “At the moment, we repeat the decision for a strong, clear dialogue to totally look at points that threaten progressive policing, impede neighborhood well-being and sow public cynicism. A spot to start out the dialog could possibly be with incarceration.”
In 2023, we wrote: “The town’s authorized system is in disaster. It begins with the King County Jail.”
Earlier this yr: “The King County Jail ought to element its insurance policies round bookings and clarify why individuals are turned again to the streets after arrests.”
There are victims in all this dysfunction and blame-shifting between King County and Seattle: the on a regular basis individuals who stay and work in high-crime and drug areas.
The Seattle Metropolis Council — with seven of 9 members recent from operating for workplace final yr — deserves credit score for attempting to grapple with these points and provide you with options.
Harrell and Constantine should now present management. Set public security targets, discover inventive methods to maximise sources, give the folks confidence.
Seattleites deserve higher than the established order.
