Washington County sheriff outlines jail repairs, staffing and levy plans in annual report to Tualatin council

Sheriff Massey told the Tualatin City Council on Feb. 10 that the Washington County Jail needs major infrastructure work and that repairs are expected to continue through about summer 2026.

The sheriff, speaking with Undersheriff John Cook in a presentation that reviewed countywide services, said the 572-bed facility — opened in 1998 — has required emergency repairs including a new roof, HVAC and hot/cold water piping. Because of construction sequencing, two housing units will be emptied at a time while work is completed, and those units will remain closed during the work, which is expected to continue into next year, Massey said.

The report also described staffing shortfalls the office has faced since the COVID era and a recovery in recruitment that has not yet allowed all previously closed housing units to reopen. "We are making progress, but there is much to be said about our current jail," Massey said.

Nut graf: The sheriff’s presentation focused on infrastructure and operational limits at the county jail, how those limits affect case processing and alternatives the office is pursuing — including expanded pretrial monitoring and a planned local public safety levy — to reduce pressure on beds and improve services for people in custody.

Among the details Massey and Cook gave the council: - Jail capacity and infrastructure: The facility has 572 beds but at times has operated with as few as 388 available beds when housing units were closed. Major infrastructure work will proceed in phases and is scheduled to complete "right around summer of 2026," Massey said. - Courtroom and space changes: The county is adding a courtroom inside the law enforcement center, which required relocating jail administration staff while construction proceeds. Cook said co‑locating a courtroom reduces the need to transport people in custody and improves safety and efficiency. - Population changes and services: The county is seeing a different adult-in-custody profile than 20 years ago, with more people presenting behavioral-health, medical and substance-use needs. Sheriff Massey said the county is trying to provide more holistic in-custody services, from education to reentry assistance. - Mental-health and interagency teams: The mental-health response teams — a partnership among the sheriff’s office, Washington County Behavioral Health and LifeWorks Northwest — respond to more than 3,000 crisis calls a year, Cook said, and aim to divert people from the criminal justice system. Cook described other interagency teams, including a long-standing narcotics task force and tactical/negotiation units that deploy to complex incidents. - Jail capacity study and pretrial changes: The county contracted Matrix Consulting to study jail capacity needs through 2055 and is building a more robust pretrial release program that will include county-owned electronic monitoring equipment and 24/7 monitoring by county staff, Massey said. - Funding and ballot measure: Massey said the county is working with commissioners, the district attorney and other partners on a proposed local option public safety levy that could appear on the November ballot; work includes defining programs and costs to present to voters.

Council members asked about specifics, including how closed beds affect local public safety and whether clinicians who staff mental-health response teams have stable funding. Cook said some lower-level charges that previously resulted in custody now may result in citations and release, which can increase failure-to-appear warrants and complicate case resolution. He said more mental-health response teams would improve coverage and follow-up, but hiring clinicians is a funding and workforce challenge.

Ending: Sheriff Massey and Undersheriff Cook offered to provide the council with the county annual report and follow up on questions about funding sources for contracted clinicians. Massey said the county will aim to deliver the 2024 annual report to jurisdictions in midyear and urged council members to contact the sheriff’s office with any further questions.