By Martín Bilbao
The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Thurston County jail is now “fully reopen” after easing pandemic-related booking restrictions, according to Sheriff Derek Sanders.
Booking restrictions have been in place since March 2020 to avoid crowding at the jail amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Sanders announced the reopening in a letter posted on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
“While we work to divert a great deal of individuals out of the criminal justice system, our community has experienced a significant lack of accountability from individuals who took advantage of our booking restrictions by repeatedly victimizing others,” Sanders said. “The time has come to bring those individuals before our courts.”
Sanders made loosening restrictions at the county jail one of his many goals when he took office at the start of the year. The change means law enforcement throughout the county will soon be able to book people suspected of lower priority misdemeanor and felony crimes as well as warrants.
However, he said this move risks over-crowding the limited space at the jail.
“Prior to COVID-19 restrictions, our correctional facility was operating at its breaking point of max capacity as our jail is significantly undersized for a county of 300,000 people,” Sanders said. “Should we reach that point again, we will not jeopardize the safety of our deputies or the inmates, and booking restrictions may once again be enacted...”
If restrictions are needed again, Sanders said he will start limiting bookings for the lowest-level misdemeanor crimes and warrants.
“Our jail must remain a space for domestic violence, DUI, felony property crime and violent crime inmates,” Sanders said.
For the past three years, law enforcement have released people accused of deprioritized crimes but still referred them to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. In his Monday letter, Sanders listed some of the crimes that did not lead to bookings:
* Felony hit and run with injury
* Felony/misdemeanor theft
* Felony/misdemeanor property damage
* Trafficking stolen property
* Failure to register as a sex offender
* Fraud
* Criminal impersonation
* Identity theft
* Vehicle prowl
* Voyeurism
Sanders said he plans to work with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to resolve old criminal cases and ensure deputies are not arresting people prosecutors don’t plan on charging.
The Olympian has asked the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to explain what old cases may be resolved and what crimes it will prioritize going forward.
The Sheriff’s Office previously imposed booking restrictions to comply with guidance set by county Health Officer Dimyana Abdelmalek.
Abdelmalek has not issued a new order, aside from instructions for COVID-19 outbreak management, since Aug. 14, 2022, according to Public Health and Social Services spokesperson Renae Miller.
Washington state’s COVID-19 emergency declaration ended on Oct. 31 and the federal public health emergency order expired on May 11. When the federal order ended, Miller said the health officer’s relationship with county jail administration returned to pre-pandemic status.
PHSS stopped providing weekly COVID-19 reports at the end of May. But state data from Monday indicates the county’s hospitalization rate reached 3.1 per 100,000 people over a seven-day period ending July 15. That rate is comparable to spikes in the first few months of the pandemic, but falls far below the peak rate of 37.8 per 100,000 which occurred between Jan. 9-15, 2022.
“There is the possibility of increased COVID-19 activity in fall and winter, as has been seen in prior seasons, and those who are able are recommended to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available,” PHSS said in a statement.
Guidance on how to stay up to date on available COVID-19 vaccines can be found on the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention website.
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