Whatcom jail booking restrictions return to levels seen early in COVID-19 pandemic
Structural damage to a dormitory at the Whatcom County Jail in downtown Bellingham has forced the county to reduce space by 30 beds and re-institute booking restrictions to early COVID-19 levels. It is not known how long the restrictions will be needed.
The changes were announced in the Monday, Nov. 23, Jail Snapshot, which is sent out weekly by Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Corrections Wendy Jones.
The damage was noted earlier this month and forced the downtown jail on Nov. 12 to reduce its capacity by 30, according to Jones’ email.
“The damage was caused by several factors: the age of the structure, the overuse of the space and some offenders exploiting the weakness by chipping away at it,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Deb Slater told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Slater said the perimeter of the jail was not damaged and remains secure, but due to safety concerns for inmates and jail employees, the area had to be shut down until repairs could be made.
The structural damage was found in an interior partition wall in a dormitory and caused instability to the wall and the ceiling it supports, according to Slater.
The Whatcom County Facilities Department is responsible for maintenance and repairs to the jail, Slater wrote, and it is not yet known when repairs will be completed.
Near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, Whatcom County law enforcement agencies were asked to stop booking people into the jail for certain crimes in an effort to allow the jail to maintain social distancing.
A memo, obtained by The Herald from a law enforcement official, stated that people arrested at the time would be booked and released for everything except certain offenses that represent a serious threat to public safety. Those crimes included domestic violence, violations of a no-contact order, felony DUI, sex offenses, burglary and other violent crimes. Those booked for misdemeanor DUI were held until sober.
The memo also suggested officers arrest, book and release people when they can, giving them notice of when to appear in court. For felony offenses, it suggested officers take a report and forward it to the prosecuting attorney’s office unless there was a threat to public safety. People were not booked for Department of Corrections violations, the memo states.
Following a jail improvement project that was completed in September, capacity was increased and the March 19 COVID-19 booking restrictions were lifted slightly, Slater reported.
“The recent discovery of this new damage coupled with the COVID-19 surge in Whatcom County and the need to maintain distancing has warranted re-instituting the original booking restrictions from March 19,” Slater wrote.
The downtown jail was originally built to hold 148, according to the jail snapshot, but remodeling increased capacity to 212. The Work Center, meanwhile holds 150.
As of Monday’s snapshot, the downtown jail and Work Center was housing 222 — 129 at the main jail, 56 at the Work Center and 16 on electronic home detention.
As of Wednesday, Nov. 18, Slater reported that there have been no cases of COVID-19 at the Whatcom County Jail or Work Center.
“We have strict protocols in place for any inmate or staff member who is showing symptoms and/or has been potentially exposed, to be immediately isolated and given an instant-read test,” Slater reported. “We would also notify the health department immediately in the case of a positive test result.”
