(The Center Square) – Pierce County police chiefs and public safety leaders are calling out an issue in the region: a lack of accountability when it comes to juvenile criminals.
The Pierce County Police Chiefs Association released an open letter on Tuesday claiming that juvenile defenders of violent crimes are not accepted into pretrial detainment.
“The system of accountability for adults who commit crimes is not being utilized for juveniles who commit those same crimes,” the letter states.
Juveniles do not face pretrial confinement even if they have committed acts of violence, including domestic violence. Notably, Washington state mandates arrest and confinement for acts of domestic violence.
According to the Pierce County Police Chiefs Association, the Remann Hall Juvenile Detention Center has the necessary protocols in place. However, Fife Police Chief Pete Fisher recently called out the detention center for not booking a 17-year-old juvenile male who was placed under arrest for assault of the fourth degree domestic violence, malicious mischief of the third degree domestic violence, and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence.
Fisher said officers attempted to book the suspect into Remann Hall for his crimes, but the detention center refused to take the juvenile in. The center advised that it was only booking on felony-level crimes.
“This is an ongoing issue throughout Pierce County – Remann Hall, on several occasions, has refused to book juvenile suspects for crimes,” Fisher said in a statement. “As a result, officers are left to figure out for themselves what to do to try and protect the victims.”
Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Mary Robnett emphasized that Remann Hall’s decision to not book domestic violence juvenile suspects puts officers in a bind. She added that the detention center’s administration’s assertion that there is an “override practice” available to police officers is not accurate.
“Oftentimes these are situations where families don’t want the juvenile back home right away, [Child Protective Services] won’t take the juvenile, and Remann Hall is saying no,” Robnett told The Center Square in an email. “What should the police do, drop juveniles off at the bus station and say good luck? That’s obviously not the right answer.”
Robnett’s office and the police chiefs have met with the administration overseeing juvenile detention on multiple occasions to ask for a solution to this problem.
The rising issue of juvenile crime is not solely a Pierce County issue. In September, mayors of Renton, Kent, Auburn and Federal Way in King County wrote a joint statement calling for a return to accountability in our approaches for both social services and juvenile justice systems.
The four cities reported significant increases in juvenile crime.
