Whatcom County Council Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee

**Sheriff's Office Staffing and Operations** The annual report revealed ongoing staffing challenges that will extend into 2026, with nine frozen positions creating operational constraints. Despite these limitations, the Sheriff's Office demonstrated adaptability through expanded crisis intervention training — their second sponsored 40-hour program with 15 deputies participating in 2025. The office processed over 2,500 public disclosure requests and implemented new technologies including GovQA for records management. Traffic enforcement remained robust with 5,700 infractions and 800 criminal traffic citations issued, though Undersheriff Harris acknowledged frustration that many infractions are dismissed due to the Prosecuting Attorney's Office not staffing the infraction desk. The specialized units showed particular growth, with the drone program flying 183 missions and the canine program completing over 200 deployments across multiple operations. **Behavioral Care Center Location Decision** The committee grappled with a complex decision balancing cost, timeline, and therapeutic effectiveness for the proposed 32-bed behavioral care facility. Three distinct approaches emerged from the analysis: The Work Center renovation option offers the lowest construction cost at approximately $47.8 million but delays opening until 2030 due to the need to complete jail construction and transition operations first. This timeline creates a sign…

**Committee Chair Barry Buchanan** emphasized the need for a timely decision while ensuring council members have adequate information, setting January's second meeting as the decision deadline. **Council Member Tyler Byrd** raised practical questions about cost allocation and explored whether savings from choosing the Work Center option could be redirected to enhance other aspects of the Justice Project. He also suggested investigating a fourth option of purchasing and renovating an alternative building. **Council Member Todd Donovan** focused on the behavioral health work group's recommendations against co-locating with the jail, citing stigma concerns and questioning the benefits of the La Bounty location. **Undersheriff Steve Harris** presented operational challenges matter-of-factly while acknowledging frustrations with prosecution gaps, particularly regarding traffic infractions t…

**Undersheriff Steve Harris, on traffic enforcement challenges:** "Yeah, it's frustrating that we do the work, and you're right. Unfortunately, they're facing their own issues that I will let Eric Richie or prosecutor comment on, but it is a frustration for us." **Kayla Schott-Bresler, on community input:** "There was sort of strong support for the out of custody model, co located with services. I will say it was, you know, a small slice of our community, not necessarily a representative samp…

The committee received the first comprehensive comparison of Behavioral Care Center location options with specific cost estimates and timeline implications. This moved the discussion from conceptual planning to concrete decision-making with defined trade-offs between cost, timeline, and operational effectiveness. The Sheriff's Office annual report formalized staffing challenges that will impact 2026 operations, with nine frozen positions now confirm…

### Meeting Overview The Whatcom County Council's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee met on December 9, 2025, to receive the Sheriff's Office annual report and discuss location options for the planned Behavioral Care Center. The committee focused on three potential sites for the facility and heard cost and timeline comparisons. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Work Release Center:** An existing county building at the Division Street campus that currently houses incarcerated individuals in a work-release program. Once the new jail is built, this facility will become available for repurposing. **Behavioral Care Center:** A planned 32-bed residential treatment facility for individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues, designed as an alternative to incarceration. It would include a 23-hour crisis center component. **Out-of-Custody Model:** A treatment approach where individuals receive behavioral health services without being formally arrested or jailed, emphasizing therapeutic intervention over incarceration. **Division Street Campus:** County property that currently houses the Ann Deacon Center for Hope (detox facility) and the Work Release Center. County officials envision developing this into a comprehensive behavioral health campus. **La Bounty Site:** The location where the new county jail is being constructed. One of the three options considered for the Behavioral Care Center location. **Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force (IPRTF):** A county advisory body that makes recommendations on criminal justice reform and alternatives to incarceration. **Finance and Facility Advisory Board (FFAB):** A county committee that advises on major construction projects and facility planning for the justice system improvements. **Crisis Intervention Team Training:** Specialized 40-hour training for law enforcement officers focused on understanding mental illness, de-escalation techniques, and connecting people in crisis with community resources instead of jail. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Barry Buchanan | Committee Chair, County Council Member | | Tyler Byrd | Committee Member, County Council Member | | Jon Scanlon | Committee Member, County Council Member | | Todd Donovan | County Council Member (non-committee) | | Mark Stremler | County Council Member (non-committee) | | Steve Harris | Undersheriff, Whatcom County Sheriff's Office | | Adam Johnson | Senior Project Manager, STV (consulting firm) | | Kayla Schott-Bresler | Staff, County Executive's Office | | Aly Pennucci | Deputy Executive, County Executive's Office | | Rob Ney | Facilities Manager, Administrative Services | ### Ba…