Welcome to Skagit County
April 2nd, 2008
Public invited to Community Summit on Criminal Justice and Public Safety in Skagit County
The Skagit County Law and Justice Council will host a Community Summit to address Criminal Justice and Public Safety on Monday, April 14, 2008 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Mt. Baker Middle School in Mount Vernon. The public is encouraged to attend.
The main topic of discussion will be the planning process to build a larger public safety facility for Skagit County.
Skagit County’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety system is made up of four parts:
- Law Enforcement
- Legal Representation (The State and Victims, and the Accused)
- Judiciary
- Corrections
“The activities of these organizations are interdependent – what happens in one impact the others. “When one of the systems is weak, all of the other elements are less effective and the system is hampered in carrying out its mission of public safety. A system is as strong as its weakest link,” said Skagit County Sheriff Richard Grimstead.
The jail was originally built to hold 83 offenders. After remodeling there are 180 beds; however the core of the jail (laundry, medical, food service, recreation areas, etc) is still designed for 83.
For the year of January 1, -December 31, 2007
- The average populationfor the week was 248 with ahigh of December 29 of 290.
- The main jail facility averaged 204 offenders per day.
- Electronic Home monitoring/detention had an average of27 a day on supervision.
- Community Service had an average of 18 a day on supervision.
- Total bookings for the year – 5,939
- Book & Release warrants for the year 1,100
Booking charges by agency for the year:
Sheriffs Office – 1,586
Sedro Woolley PD – 881
State Patrol – 1,448
Anacortes PD - 550
Mount Vernon PD – 1,665
Swinomish - 152
Burlington PD – 1,097
“Our jail is our weakest link. It is a public safety problem, pure and simple,” said Grimstead. “We need help from the community to develop a viable solution.”
For further information, contact:
Dan Berentson
Skagit County Communications Director
360-419-3461