Update: Benton Co. Republicans want jail returned to sheriff. 2 commissioners say no

Benton County commissioners should reverse their hasty decision to take over jail operations and start over with a financial analysis and citizen input.

That’s the position the Benton County Republican Party is taking six weeks after the county commissioners — all Republicans — voted 2-1 to remove control of the jail from Sheriff Jerry Hatcher.

Hatcher, who has been in office since May 2017, also is a Republican.

The party’s precinct committee officers passed a resolution at their regular monthly meeting Dec. 5 to oppose the transition, in large part because of the lack of public involvement.

But Tuesday afternoon, during a special meeting about the new Benton County Corrections Department, Commissioners Jerome Delvin and Jim Beaver said they have no plans to give the jail back to Hatcher.

“I’ll say it again ... I think this is the right move. I really do,” Beaver said to a room packed with about three dozen people, the majority jail employees. “I’m kind of excited about what I’m hearing from you guys about morale. I think that’s very important in the work that you do.”

“Anytime you change something, there’s always some uncomfortable times. But we’ll deal with those uncomfortable times,” he added. “I applaud the employees. I really appreciate you coming and talking to the board, and I hope that you continue to talk to us.”

Delvin added that he is committed to seeking re-electon next year, and wants to make sure the jail professionals have the equipment and manpower to do their jobs.

Republican Party questions reasons

The county Republican Party issued a news release earlier on Tuesday, saying it is the precinct committee officers’ responsibility to act on behalf of the constituents when “they see a serious government overreach.”

In other words, action by elected officials that is not consistent with public sentiment or the good of the community, it said.

“It is felt that the county commissioners took precipitous actions without public involvement when they made the decision to remove the responsibility for operation of the county jail from the sheriff’s office,” the news release said. “Their reasons were not clear or compelling.”

The Republican Party believes the commissioners — while it was within their authority to approve the takeover — “did not properly evaluate and plan how to mitigate the financial and operational impacts of the actions taken.”

The party specifically called out Delvin and Beaver, saying their actions “are not acceptable but may be corrected.”

Delvin and Beaver are the two who voted for the takeover on Oct. 22. Chairman Shon Small was the lone dissenter.

The Republic Party’s 8-point resolution outlines its concerns and expectations, and gives the commissioners an opportunity to take a more considered approach.

The party’s stance comes on the heels of jail employees and union officials publicly thanking the county commissioners for the takeover, saying some of the immediate policy changes have improved safety.

Beaver said Tuesday afternoon that a constituent stopped by his office earlier in the day to question if he really thought about the jail move before voting on it.

He pointed out that he’s been involved in local politics since 1990, including 18 years on the Kennewick City Council — 13 of those as the mayor.

Over the past 29 years, he’s had discussions with administrations, city managers and the public about the jail and how it has been run. So his decision on Oct. 22 to put the county board in charge wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment move, Beaver said.

Sheriff wants jail back

Hatcher has said repeatedly in the past six weeks that the jail should be returned to his control in the sheriff’s office because he knows best how to run the 740-bed facility.

He immediately ordered corrections officers and jail staff to remove the sheriff’s badges and patches from their uniforms, and said they could no longer use the shared sheriff’s locker room or they would be arrested, employees said.

Hatcher gave limited commissions to corrections officers for one month, allowing them to serve warrants, make courtroom arrests and provide courtroom security. But he refused to extend that past Nov. 30, resulting in sheriff’s patrol deputies now having to assume those duties.

Relations between the sheriff’s office and the county commission have been strained in the aftermath of the vote, with Hatcher and Delvin arguing at some public meetings.

The unions and jail leaders have spoken out in favor of the takeover, saying the transition is going smoothly. And most recently a handful of current and former jail employees told commissioners it was a welcomed and much-needed change.

Tuesday, Commander Scott Souza and Capt. Josh Shelton said staff is pleased with the move and morale has been good since Oct. 23.

New uniforms have been ordered for the employees and should be received by mid- to late-January, said Souza. That is along with new guns, badges, Tasers and radios, all of which is being funded by the current budget, said county officials.

Souza said they’re down six officers and one clerical person, but are working on hiring a part-time investigator to handle background checks for new employees and internal investigations.

A return to full staff will make it a safer facility and bring some relief to employees, especially with meal and break periods, he said.

“I just want to reiterate that the jail is running smoothly and the operations are going very well,” said Souza.

Public safety, budgets, personnel effected

However, the Republican Party’s resolution says “the decision to separate operations has great potential to adversely affect public safety, budgets and personnel,” and will lead to duplicate costs for staff, training and equipment.

The resolution notes that Benton County’s jail operations “have been well respected throughout the state.”

By not giving the public advance notice about their plan or an explanation of why the takeover was needed, the commissioners violated the principles of open government and engaged in “a gross overreach of authority,” the resolution states.

The party suggests that the county board rescind transfer of the jail pending a formal independent review, and hold public hearings to get feedback before deciding whether to take the same action.

Jail Sgt. Steve McDermott told commissioners Tuesday that their decision benefited jail personnel.

The number of state and federal contract inmates has been reduced in the aftermath of the jail vote, which allowed command staff to reposition employees and ultimately reduce overtime costs by about 65 percent over prior month averages, he said.

“This is an unprecedented time where the jail is actually being managed by actual Benton County experts who are experienced corrections employees who understand the needs of our facility,” said McDermott.

His hope is that the jail officers again will be commissioned to sign and serve warrants and help keep the courts safe.

“We prefer the police to stay on the road keeping the public safe, instead of coming into the jail and doing tasks that we could easily go back to doing,” said McDermott. “Overall, I believe (you’re going) in the right direction. With time I think the decision will prove to be positive for the public.”

This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 12:44 PM.