(The Center Square) – Tensions are rising between the city of Spokane and Spokane County again as the two jurisdictions fling accusations as to who is to blame for more than 100 jail beds sitting empty.
Sparks were flying for weeks leading up to Tuesday, when Spokane City Councilmember Zack Zappone issued a statement accusing the county of ignoring his questions. Residents have raised concerns over all the empty beds for weeks now as open-air drug use and other crime continue to impact downtown.
Zappone recently told NonStop Local that the downtown jail was full right after city officials promised to amend their new camping ban. Don Hooper, chief of Spokane County Detention Services, released a statement correcting Zappone in the days after, arguing that he could have verified this by calling first.
“SPD can fill every one of those beds today if officers make those arrests,” County Spokesman Pat Bell told The Center Square, arguing that a red-light status doesn’t equate to turning away new inmates.
Zappone had claimed that the jail was at full capacity, and that a “red-light status” was causing staff to turn away people SPD had arrested. Bell said that up until 2025, overcrowding was a major issue, causing temporary red-light statuses, but other factors are now contributing to the current situation.
Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall even told Zappone and the rest of the council last month that most of the time the jail enters a red-light status, it’s due to understaffing, not capacity. Bell confirmed this as well, noting that conflicts that require assistance from other units can also prompt a red-light status.
He said the most recent red-light status was on Tuesday after an officer came in contact with fentanyl, and reiterated that red-light statuses don’t correlate to a lack of capacity to house additional inmates.
“Councilman Zappone’s comments about current available jail capacity and operations at the jail that distort reality are unhelpful, irresponsible and put the community’s safety at risk,” Sheriff John Nowels wrote in a statement on Monday responding to the recent claims. “In the future, I hope Councilman Zappone will check his facts with Jail and County leadership before spreading bad information.”
Nowels said any jurisdiction can modify their own policies to utilize the 180 beds currently available.
As of Tuesday night, the Detention Services Dashboard indicated that the jail had entered a red-light status 23 times over the prior 30 days for a total of 125 hours. Zappone noted that this amounts to roughly 20% of that period; however, Bell said Hooper would verify how staff tracks those hours.
The Center Square had asked whether a minute-long status would show as an hour on the dashboard.
By Wednesday morning, the dashboard said the jail had entered a red-light status 20 times over the last 30 days for a total of 60 hours. Bell rejected claims that the county is turning away new inmates during red-light statuses, explaining that SPD just has to wait until the status ends for booking to reopen.
Zappone said the issue is that officers don’t know if the status will last for minutes or several hours.
“It’s disappointing that Spokane County public safety officials would hide behind a press release targeting me rather than answer the serious questions me and my constituents have,” Zappone wrote Tuesday in response to the sheriff, claiming he had invited Hooper and others to explain to him multiple times.
Zappone shared emails that he sent last month to Hooper and Mike Sparber, the county’s senior director of law and justice. On Sept. 3, a Friday afternoon, he invited both of them to a committee meeting on the following Monday. Sparber responded on Sept. 8 that Monday wouldn’t work, but that they would try to find time in the near future. Zappone offered other times but claims he never heard back.
Shortly after he sent those emails to the press, Zappone also sent Sparber and Hooper another one, noting that he had tried calling as they suggested but never received a response. He requested again that they present during a city council meeting and cited concerns about SPD waiting to book inmates.
“Councilmember Zappone – Thank you for reaching out with your request,” Spokane County CEO Scott Simmons responded. “Feel free to copy me on emails in the future … I recognize our team has not been able to identify a time to attend a city council committee meeting due to scheduling conflicts.”
He said the committee meetings typically overlap with the Board of County Commissioners’ meetings.
The board is currently balancing a $20 million deficit and has spent much of its time on this over the last few months. Bell said that Hooper and Sparber have been focused on their own budget proposal and would have time to present to the city council after budget adoption sometime in December.
Simmons reminded Zappone that the available bed count is on the online dashboard and said that the council could call him, Hooper, or Spaber directly at the numbers provided in his email. He noted that the county would identify a time that works for everyone and requested a list of questions in advance.
“Also, we would invite you to tour the jail so that you can see firsthand the operations of the jail,” Simmons emailed Zappone on Tuesday afternoon. “You reach out directly to Chief Hooper to arrange.”
