Says jail replacement needed for public safety
OK, people of the city of Bellingham and Whatcom County, please wake up!
The county jail is structurally unsafe, overcrowded, and is unsanitary/unsafe for inmates and jail employees. The city refuses to help fund for a new jail and/or jail alternatives. So people, you can pay now or pay later. I’ve lived in Whatcom County since 1995. I believe crime gets worse every year with meth and heroin users. So, if the taxpayers won’t agree to help pay either, they will pay later in terms of property crimes, because the dopeheads need money and they will do anything to get money for their habit. Sheriff Elfo is saying we need to reduce the inmate population. But the city won’t help with any funding to house inmates, so probably the first inmates to be released will be those arrested by Bellingham police. It’s political. So don’t let politics jeopardize public safety. Inform yourself about this issue and say something. You could be one that gets robbed or burglarized if they can’t house criminals and keep them off the streets.
So you decide.
William Alyea
Bellingham
This story was originally published October 22, 2015 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Says jail replacement needed for public safety."