Is too much spent on policing in BI?

Since crime is so low on Bainbridge Island, should the city really be spending 38% of its budget on law enforcement?

That was the overall message delivered at an online Town Hall meeting on Zoom Saturday called “The Future and Funding of Policing on Bainbridge Island.”

Mayor Rasham Nassar, state Rep. Tarra Simmons and Dean Spade, a professor at Seattle University School of Law, made up the panel. All three spoke in favor of cutting back police spending and more funding for social services, which is only 2.6% of the BI budget.

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There was no effort made to balance the discussion. In an effort to do so the Review contacted BI Police Chief Joe Clark by email last weekend, but he did not respond. Likewise, no City Council members emailed Monday as a group and individually responded by the noon deadline Tuesday, except for Leslie Schneider. They have all, including Nassar, been part of the budget process the past few years that has funded police to the levels they are.

Schneider said there were important points left out of the Town Hall meeting.

One is that BI has the lowest ratio of police officers to population of any city in Washington state. “If an arrest happens late at night, do we want our city to be able to respond to a different incident while that arrested individual is being taken to Bremerton?” she mentioned as an example.

Also, the city recently reallocated the police budget to create a fulltime Navigator position, which helps people connect with social services. That new staff person is part of changing the culture of policing on BI. “Yes, we can do more, but let’s not lose sight of needing to attract and retain good officers who get to know and care about our community. There are amazing stories of our officers checking in daily with the houseless campers in the 305 right-of-way a couple winters ago until they could be convinced to accept housing elsewhere.”

Schneider also mentioned that BI spends a significantly higher percent of its budget on social services than most other cities of the same size.

As for changes in policing, “We need to avoid soundbite demands for change and be willing to dig deeper for the tougher questions that help us do better.”

She also added that new city manager Blair King “will be taking a hard look at the accusations for whether we are spending taxpayer’s money wisely.”

As for Saturday’s Town Hall meeting, Nassar started off the meeting saying almost $5.54 million is in the budget for police, with 31 full-time employees. She mentioned how safe BI is, with the top calls for service by far are for patrol checks, traffic stops and 9-1-1 hangups. While BI spends 38% of its budget on police, Sammamish, a city with a similar crime rate, spends just 15.3% of its budget on police.

Nassar also questioned whether BI should be spending money on a new police-court facility when so many social service needs are unmet on the island.

She explained what three different agencies could do with just $1 million each. That amount could pay all operating expenses for Housing Resources Bainbridge, along with putting a down payment on five affordable housing units and assist 500 clients with housing upgrades. Bainbridge Youth Services could pay operating expenses and increase support for youth with more counseling. And Helpline House could feed 700 families of four for a year, double the number of islanders it helps with rental assistance and pay operating expenses.

As for the police-court facility, she explained the many problems surrounding that issue, which is now on “pause” to get input from new city manager Blair King. Nassar said the controversial cost of the former Harrison Medical Center, which is approved to become a new police-court facility. In 2017, another option for the facility, an addition to a fire station site, would have been $325 per square foot. Harrison’s cost is $1,127 per square foot. Harrison will cost $20 million, about twice as much as the fire station site. And while it would have cost nothing to acquire the fire station site, it cost almost $9 million for Harrison.

She also explained the council approved bonds to pay for Harrison, while in a vote of the people 75% decided against such an expenditure just a few years earlier. “It’s out of the ballpark,” and a “waste of public funds,” Nassar said. She said there needs to be an independent analysis of police needs on BI, and that Harrison should be used for affordable or senior housing or a domestic violence and abuse shelter.

Simmons said she grew up in “the projects” and suffered personal and family substance abuse. She recalled police barging into her house to arrest family members, causing her trauma when growing up. She said she was arrested, strip searched and jailed, suffering mental health issues as a result. “I couldn’t get out of the system,” she said, adding it was hard to find a job. Of drug possession laws, she called them, “The most racist policy we’ve seen in this country since slavery.”

She said she is glad the legislature passes 13 bills to reform police actions. She said drug possession is now a misdemeanor, not a felony. They invested in recovery, but “we can’t divert people into services when we don’t have the services yet.” She also mentioned an upcoming 9-8-8 number people can call for emergency mental health when you don’t want police involved.

Simmons applauded BI officers for taking kids home instead of busting them. But she did say the island needs to do more with affordable housing because many who work here can’t afford to live here.

Spade said locals need to figure out the “right investment for people’s well-being on Bainbridge Island.” He said nationwide there is a move away from investments in policing and facilities like Harrison. He said there has been a pattern of human services being underfunded in the U.S. for 50 years.

Spade talked about laws being unfair to poor people, as they even spend more time in jail before being processed. He also said “Police don’t actually produce safety.” Speaking to the data Nassar mentioned, he said police show up after something happens and a lot of the time they respond because something “seems suspicious.” Spade said sometimes when police show up problems actually escalate.

Spade said funds spent in other ways can protect the public better. He mentioned domestic and sexual violence. What works better than police showing up after the fact is support groups that make victims feel less isolated. Programs that help young people learn about healthy dating and relationships also help.

“Support is essential and deeply underfunded,” he said, adding a lack of housing on BI is producing a mental health crisis. He called 9-8-8 a “civilized” 9-1-1 instead of sending police, adding many are afraid to call cops when in need.

On BI, he said there many calls made to police simply because people are afraid of teens. “What is there for teens to do on BI?” he asked. He said society needs to help teens party in safer ways instead of sneaking around and driving drunk.

During the Question and Answer session, Councilmember Michael Pollock asked about community policing, saying BI has a low crime rate because the community looks after one another.

Simmons disagreed, saying the wealth on BI is the reason for the low crime rate. She said islanders have the resources to treat the root causes of behavior problems that are criminalized. She also said because BI is educated, it has “the time to think about bigger causes.”

Spade asked, “What would it look like if everyone had access” to those same services? He said sometimes if people can get transportation, housing or child care they wouldn’t reach such bad situations.

The panel was asked if “defunding” police was a bad term; maybe “reallocation of funds” is a better approach. That inquiry brought a bit of balance to the discussion.

Simmons said her son, who is black, wants to become a police officer to make positive change from the inside. While she doesn’t want him to do that, she did say it “doesn’t have to be an us vs. them.” She said in Kitsap County there was an effort to keep people out of jail during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have re-entered society and can show others the way, she said.

Communities are starting to spend less on police and more on housing. Former officers are finding new types of employment, she said. Spade said he’s been told by officers that they wish they could do their jobs more around support.

Nassar said whatever is done with police needs to be done in a collaborative way; it won’t work without that. “What is clear is we are not meeting the needs for health services on BI,” she said.

Rasham Nassar

Rasham Nassar

Tarra Simmons

Tarra Simmons

Spending on the Bainbridge Island Police Department, including vehicles, also was questioned.

Spending on the Bainbridge Island Police Department, including vehicles, also was questioned.

Whether a police station and courthouse should be combined was also mentioned.

Whether a police station and courthouse should be combined was also mentioned.

Helpline House was one of the social service groups mentioned as in need of funds.

Helpline House was one of the social service groups mentioned as in need of funds.

Bainbridge Youth Services was also mentioned as a support group in need of more city funds.

Bainbridge Youth Services was also mentioned as a support group in need of more city funds.

It was mentioned that Housing Resources Bainbridge could do a lot with $1 million.

It was mentioned that Housing Resources Bainbridge could do a lot with $1 million.

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It was mentioned that Housing Resources Bainbridge could do a lot with $1 million.

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It was mentioned that Housing Resources Bainbridge could do a lot with $1 million.