HomeMy WebLinkAboutCriminal Justice Nov 9 2022Whatcom County
Council Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360)778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
2:05 PM
Hybrid Meeting
HYBRID MEETING - ADJOURNS BY 2:45 P.M.; MAY BEGIN EARLY
(PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON, SEE REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT
www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR CALL 360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Barry Buchanan
Tyler Byrd
Carol Frazey
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Criminal Justice and Public Committee Minutes - Final November 9, 2022
Safety Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee Chair Barry Buchanan called the meeting to order at 2:05 p.m.
in a hybrid meeting.
Present: 3 - Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, and Carol Frazey
Absent: None
Also Present: Ben Elenbaas, Kaylee Galloway, and Kathy Kershner
Announcements
Committee Discussion
1. A.B2022-566 Discussion on progress and next steps of the Justice Project (Public Health, Safety,
and Justice Facility Needs Assessment)
Clerk's note: Committee Chair Buchanan changed the order of the agenda
items.
Buchanan updated the Councilmembers on the following:
• The current public engagement phase of the project
• Highlights of the public engagement efforts of The Vida Agency
including a community survey and a jail tour video
• An upcoming town hall meeting on November 15, 2022 and a
Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting on November 17th
and additional meeting on December 15th.
• Community feedback via email and a request for feedback on the
draft vision, values, and goals
• Posting preliminary findings from the report as they become
available
• The Communications consultant leading listening sessions in Latinx
and tribal communities as well as with people who were formally
incarcerated and their family members
• The final meeting of the SAC on January 19, 2023. That is where
they will vote on the final needs assessment report, and that report
will then be packaged up for a presentation to the Council on
February 7, 2023
This agenda item was REPORTED.
Whatcom County Page 1
Council Criminal Justice and Public Committee Minutes - Final November 9, 2022
Safety Committee
Special Presentation
1. A 2022-62 `? Report from the Prosecutoring Attorney's Office
Eric Richey, Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney, stated he did not have
any additional information from what he already shared last week at the
budget meeting but he could answer questions. He answered whether there
is a bottleneck in the courtrooms, whether we keep statistics on how many
cases we plea bargain out as opposed to how many we send to trial or to
how many people just plead guilty and get sentenced, whether it is allowed
to file felony cases in District Court and whether that is a new process, and
whether they still have two victim advocates or whether they added more
since the last budget cycle.
Kershner stated as they find out from other counties about their caseloads,
it would be interesting to know the bigger picture of how many arrests they
are making, how much crime they are experiencing, and whether we are
experiencing way more crime. She spoke about adding more Sheriff s
deputies in the next two years and how that will work if the courts are
already over capacity.
This agenda item was REPORTED.
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
Adiournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
Councilmembers discussed the timing of the next meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 2:24 p.m.
ATTEST:
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
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WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
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Barry Buchanan -via email 12/8/2022
Dana Brov6ft-Davi&;� buncil Clerk
Barry Buchanan, Committee Chair
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Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription
W@otconr County Page 2