Law enforcement will be compromised until Thurston jail can operate at full capacity

Do you feel safer than you did two years ago? Five years ago?

For most Thurston County residents, the answer is a resounding no. It’s no secret that crime rates are increasing. People are frustrated that those committing criminal acts seemingly face no consequences for their actions.

As law enforcement officers, we share those frustrations. It’s discouraging to do our jobs, apprehend someone causing harm or stealing another person’s property, and then be forced to simply refer them to the prosecutor’s office for potential charges or release them with a criminal citation.

All too often, when this happens, the offender is back on the street and doing the same thing — or worse — sometimes within hours. How many members of our community could be saved from becoming victims of crimes, how much property damage could be avoided, and how many injuries could be prevented if this wasn’t the case?

Fixing this problem requires allowing law enforcement to place offenders in jail on probable cause charges and warrants or when they are caught committing a crime.

Unfortunately, Thurston County Public Health Department regulations are preventing us from doing that. Their rigid COVID protocols severely limit jail capacity, meaning jail time can only be required for violent felonies and offenses such as domestic violence, where state law mandates jail.

During the height of the pandemic, state mandates required all local jurisdictions to implement such protocols as a public health measure. But state COVID guidance is evolving to the point that surrounding jurisdictions have figured out how to eliminate the types of booking restrictions still imposed here in Thurston County. Why have they been able to do what Thurston County hasn’t?

The Thurston County Commissioners and Sheriff John Snaza are well aware of this problem. They understand how jail restrictions are hampering the effectiveness of local law enforcement. But so far they haven’t been able to engage the health department in hammering out a strategy that allows full use of the jail as the tool it should be for taking criminals off the street and protecting local residents.

Until that happens, local law enforcement at all levels will be compromised. City jails cannot house those being held on felony charges, so city police departments are forced to book felony suspects on misdemeanor charges. Lesser charges allow use of city or tribal jails, but they do not represent true accountability.

That approach is not an option at the county level; we have no alternative to the county jail. With incarceration so limited, we will continue to see suspects released through a revolving door of citations, low bail, and personal recognizance. This is a potentially dangerous situation.

For example, we recently arrested a suspect for unlawful possession of a firearm. While a felony, it’s currently not one that can be booked into jail, because it’s not considered a violent crime. Yet experience has proven that unlawful possession often leads to violent crimes. Upon release, this suspect allegedly used another firearm a few days later in an attempted home burglary in which the residents were assaulted.

Such incidents can lead to even more dangerous situations when local citizens try to protect themselves from these suspects. Citizens may feel the need to take matters into their own hands when they believe law enforcement can’t protect them, prevent and solve crimes, or hold suspects accountable.

Law enforcement officers recognize that our profession must continue to change to restore public trust. New laws and increased public scrutiny are guiding our work. Like everyone else, we had to adjust how we do things in response to the pandemic.

But, again like the rest of the world, Thurston County residents are returning to pre-pandemic activities; regulations are changing to reflect that shift. Our local health department should follow suit.

Through it all, our mission remains constant: protecting the public. We remain committed to that mission, but our efforts fall short if we cannot place suspects into a correctional facility. It’s time for Thurston County leaders to collaborate on a solution that opens the jail to operate at full capacity.

Knute Lehmann is president of the Thurston County Deputy Sheriff Association and the Thurston County Lodge of the Washington Fraternal Order of Police.