The Law and Justice Committee on July 29 acknowledged receipt of a June 2025 report on safety improvements in King County’s adult detention facilities and released $100,000 in Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD) funds tied to a 2025 budget proviso.
Leah Krekel Saapi, filling in for council staff, summarized the report: King County’s secure adult detention facilities are the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) in downtown Seattle and the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent. The report lists technology used for safety and contraband prevention, including body scanners, x-ray and handheld metal detectors, cameras (fixed and mobile), radios and duress alarms, and a drug‑detection dog added in June 2025.
Krekel Saapi told the committee that the 2025 proviso requires this report and that acknowledging it satisfies proviso conditions and releases $100,000 in DAJD’s budget. The staff summary documented efforts to reduce contraband and overdoses (changes to mail procedures, lock upgrades, more naloxone access) and suicide-prevention upgrades (bunk retrofits, jump barriers, medication controls).
The report also identified gaps and projects: recent Washington Department of Health rules restrict body‑scanner radiation settings, prompting DAJD to seek either a variance or funding for new scanners; a capital project is underway to replace analog cameras at KCCF and MRJC with work expected to complete in 2026; a distributed antenna system (DAS) upgrade for radios is in progress and expected to finish by year’s end; and an alarm-system upgrade was estimated at approximately $1.3 million for MRJC, an additional $2.4 million to expand to KCCF, and $700,000 to extend to the juvenile facility.
DAJD staff said they are researching policy and grant opportunities for the possible use of body‑worn cameras; an estimate for equipping all correctional staff with body‑worn cameras and software was about $1.5 million in upfront costs. Deputy Director Steve Larson said DAJD will continue to evaluate best practices and attend national conferences to identify equipment and operational improvements and thanked staff for preparing the report.
Vice Chair Balducci and other committee members stressed keeping line officers and the correctional officers’ guild engaged during procurement and rollout because staff safety is tied to effective communications and alarm systems. The committee voted 4-0 to acknowledge the report (proposed motion 2025-0207) and will place the acknowledgement on the Aug. 19 consent agenda.