With the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) misdemeanant jail in Des Moines getting ready to begin operations next fall, the City of Auburn is ready to take advantage of the benefit of joint jail services.
City Council members on Monday entered into a one-year lease with SCORE starting Jan. 1. The lease will allow SCORE to operate the current jail under Auburn City Hall at 25 W. Main St., as the City will no longer operate a jail of its own. Eventually, Auburn will ship its misdemeanants to the new jail.
Auburn Human Resources Director Brenda Heineman said the lease is for $1 per month.
The new jail will be under the auspices of Auburn and the other cities that have agreed to build and share in its maintenance – Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Renton, Seatac and Tukwila. The SCORE jail will open sometime next fall.
Auburn’s former police chief, Jim Kelly, is the deputy director of the new jail.
Auburn joined the six other neighboring cities to build, own and operate the 822-bed misdemeanant jail to serve their collective needs. Upon completion it will be a 164,000-square-foot, single-story jail on a 14-acre site at 1801 S. 200th St., within the Sea-Tac Airport noise abatement area.
King County provided the impetus for building the new jail eight years ago when it notified suburban cities that it would no longer accept misdemeanor inmates by 2012 because it expected to run out of room at its jail. Cities then began studying plans for housing their misdemeanor inmates accused or convicted of crimes such as assault, domestic violence, property crimes, traffic offenses or DUI.
Auburn, like other cities, sends its misdemeanor inmates to the Yakima County Jail, but its contract with Yakima ends Dec. 31.
Among its features will be the following:
• A layout that allows indirect supervision of the entire facility from two raised control positions and direct staff supervision within day rooms;
• A modular cell system that uses concrete-filled steel panels, saving significant floor space;
• Video visiting and arraignment systems for family visitation and expanded court activities.
City officials say the new jail will afford Auburn of sufficient jail space beyond the year 2025. The current jail is overcrowded and outdated. Designed for 51 beds, its average daily population is 104.
