Olympia Police Chief discusses closing municipal jail

Olympia is set to close the decades-old municipal jail facility as it outlived its structural lifespan, Police Chief Rich Allen announced at the city council meeting yesterday.

Allen updated the council members and the public on the present condition of the current jail, which he described as "living on borrowed time."

"Sitting around waiting for some type of structural failure doesn't seem like a smart course of action to me," Allen said.

In December last year, the city council entered an agreement with the Nisqually Indian Tribe for jail services. The five-year contract began on January 1 this year.

Problems with the building

The building that houses the current jail is the former city hall complex and was built in the 60s.

Over the years, interior walls in various office spaces have been remodeled. However, the interior of the jail: the cement walls and steel doors have remained untouched and is still in its original design.

Two years ago, the city police chief said, the Public Works Department commissioned an assessment of the facility. "It was determined that the building had outlived its structural lifespan."

Allen said there were HVAC, plumbing and other structural issues noted.

"In the summer of 2021, the jail's HVAC system could not keep up during the historic heatwave. We had to relocate those we were housing down to Lewis County because we were concerned about heatstroke or other heat-related illnesses," Allen recounted.

He said the assessment recommended that the jail be taken down and rebuilt. No remodel or rehab of the facility was available due to the structural layout and physical condition.

Allen added that the city has worked with an architectural firm to design a new facility that would replace the current Justice Center Complex, including the courtroom, the prosecutors' offices, and the jail. The estimated cost to rebuild the facility was approximately $90 million, and the jail portion was roughly $40 to $50 million.

Built in the 60s, Allen said, the jail lacked modern features that other newer jails have in the housing units.

While most facilities have skylights or windows that allow natural light, Allen described the city's jail housing unit lacks natural sunlight. It has no garden space and outdoor recreation and no distress button.

The OPD chief explained that the distress button in modern jail housing units sends signals to get the staff's attention in case of a medical issue or other crises.

"We don't have that. People in custody who need our attention have to bang on the door," he added.

Allen noted that Olympia's jail has single occupancy cells but not as many as needed.

"Our current facility does not foster and does not relate to the city's mission of moving those that are in the criminal justice system towards wellness," Allen commented.

Nisqually Corrections Center

In December last year, the city council entered an agreement with the Nisqually Indian Tribe for jail services. The five-year contract began on January 1 this year.

Opened in March 2014, the Nisqually Correction Center has large holding areas with capacity for 288  detainees. It is large enough to give more room to those in custody.

Allen described the facility as having outdoor recreation with a community garden so those in custody can grow and nurture plants. 

"In addition to the technology that the modern facilities have like the distress buttons, control centers, and electronically controlled doors, they still have the old lock and keys," he added.

The police chief said those housed have access to tablets or iPads where they can pursue their General Education Development (GED), or take anger management and substance-abuse resistance classes.

"They can get other job skills, and there's a lot of pre-recorded seminars that they can take to prepare them for employment," Allen informed the council members.

In terms of health and wellness, Allen said the Nisqually jail has 24/7 nursing staff present with a pharmacy on site. The doctor comes in twice a week.

Allen mentioned that Lacey and Tumwater have been using the Nisqually jail services for over 20 years. Lakewood, Tacoma and Shelton have established contracts with them too.

The police chief added that his decision was supported by Diane Whaley, public defense coordinator, and community court executive.

"It was important for me to get her feedback. She speaks for those who find themselves in the criminal justice system. She is supportive of this proposal, believing that Nisqually jail will provide a holistic approach for stabilization for defendants prior to release," he said.

Displaced employees

When Allen recommended to Olympia City Manager Jay Burney to enter a contract with the Nisqually Indian Tribe, he admitted that it was a difficult decision because it would impact some employees and their families.

"We are a small department and we know each other… I made the recommendation to solely use our existing contract with Nisqually for housing individuals," he explained.

"I spoke with Sheriff Sanders about my plan back in January," Allen said, adding, "my concern for our employees, and his immediate response was, 'I'll take all of them.' He has several openings in his jail. Our HR departments have been working together to try and streamline that process for those that want to go."

Allen did not give a specific date for the jail's closure, but he said the latest would be on May 1.

"There are some things we have to work through with the corrections officers. We owe them 30-day notice before we do anything official,” said Allen.

Significant savings

With the agreement with Nisqually Indian Tribe for jail services, Allen said the city would see approximately $1.5 million in savings.

In the presentation, the projected jail budget for 2024 is $3.6 million. The custodial cost for jail services is estimated at a $2.1 million - $1.6 million custodial budget with an additional $500,000 contingency.