Update on regional jail in King County

On Nov. 20, a multi-city planning group announced six potential sites for a new regional municipal jail.

Possible locations include three spots in Seattle, one in Shoreline, one in Bellevue and one in unincorporated King County.

Many cities in King County contract with the county for jail space, but that arrangement expires in less than five years. A potential one-year extension is on the table, but King County claims it doesn’t have the capacity to house its own felony jail population beyond then. That means cities will have to collectively build a new jail or construct buildings of their own.

Twenty-three municipalities have banded together as the North-East Cities (NEC) municipal jail-planning group to formulate concepts for a new 640-bed facility that would house misdemeanor inmates. A team known as the The South Corrections Entity (SCORE) — comprised of Auburn, Des Moines, Federal Way, Renton and Tukwila — is working to develop a separate plan.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in the PNWLocalNews.com community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. So keep your comments:

• Civil
• Smart
• On-topic
• Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by registering for an account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and drive-by commenters.

As a community site, we ask that the community help by using the "Flag" button on each comment if they feel the comment has violated the rules. You can also use the up and down arrows on each comment to voice your opinion about that particular comment.

Want to tell us something but you don't want it to be public? Talk to us privately.