Sheriff seeks to add nursing staff at county jail

EVERETT — Sheriff Ty Trenary is asking the Snohomish County Council for an additional 29 staff positions at the jail, most of them for registered nurses.

Trenary spoke at length at a council meeting Monday about the jail’s ongoing safety problems. He’s been working to fix issues at the jail after a series of inmate deaths and two federal reviews in recent years.

The jail must decrease its inmate population or increase its staffing — or do both — to bring operations in line with the federal recommendations, Trenary said. His proposal on Monday recommended adding jail staff and increasing booking and holding fees for city police departments over the next few years to help pay the cost. Inmates with medical issues or mental-health problems would cost cities more to house.

Changes at the jail are necessary to avoid intervention from the federal Department of Justice, Trenary said. He’s also questioned the use of the jail as a default mental-health holding facility for nonviolent misdemeanor offenders.

Part of Monday’s discussion focused on whether it would make sense to stop jailing misdemeanor suspects arrested by police departments in Snohomish County cities.

Trenary earlier this year announced plans to cut contracts with cities in neighboring counties and the King and Skagit county sheriff’s offices.

It would be unfair to cancel contracts with the cities without giving them time to establish alternatives for locking up misdemeanor inmates, Trenary said. Only Marysville and Lynnwood operate jails. Both have been forced to make changes as the county jail has limited bookings and new restrictions on accepting high-risk inmates.

The county jail holds about 1,000 inmates a day, including about 80 inmates being held for the state Department of Corrections. About 264 people on average are booked at any given time for misdemeanors in cities. The rest are felony bookings throughout the county and misdemeanors in unincorporated areas.

People booked by the state corrections department are often convicts who’ve violated court orders or the conditions of their community supervision, Trenary said. He doesn’t see those bookings as a good place to make cuts. At the same time, people booked by cities have been arrested for criminal activity and could pose a safety threat to the public, he said.

Cities now pay a $96 booking fee and $67 for daily housing of each inmate. The proposal would increase the booking fee up to $135 and the daily holding fee to $110. Medical housing could cost $175 and mental-health housing up to $260. Cities already are supposed to pick up hospital bills for their inmates held at the county jail.

The increases could be parceled out over time, Trenary said.

“I think we owe (the cities) some idea of where it’s headed in fairly short order,” Trenary said.

The county budget cannot continue to absorb cost overruns in the jail, councilman Terry Ryan said. On the other hand, though, problems at the jail have racked up liability costs, councilman Brian Sullivan said.

Changes already made at the jail included hiring a full-time doctor and moving nursing staff into the booking area to evaluate incoming inmates. Several of the inmate deaths over the past few years involved drugs, alcohol and withdrawal symptoms as factors.

At least two of the deaths, both involving people in their 20s, have led to multimillion-dollar claims against the county alleging that the jail failed to provide basic medical care.

In 2012 and early 2013, jail staff at times struggled to keep nurses on site around the clock. The county this year is expected to spend $1.3 million on nurses hired through a temporary agency.

Nurses hired by the county would be more likely to be invested in the jail’s success, Trenary said. With current staffing, he said, it is not possible to respond to inmates’ requests for non-emergency medical care within 24 hours — something recommended in the federal reviews, among other examples.

In addition to nurses, the proposal asks to hire counselors with college degrees, a medical assistant, a social worker and a billing specialist.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Hundreds rally against Trump on Presidents Day in Everett

People lined Broadway with signs and flags, similar to other protests across the country

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.