PUYALLUP, Wash. — At a press conference on Tuesday, the Puyallup Police Department made its case for a $56 million bond measure that would fund a new police station and jail for the city.
Puyallup Police Chief Scott Engle says the current police station is falling apart, and can’t properly house the 95-person staff.
He also says the current jail is overcrowded. Originally, the jail was designed to hold 21 people, but now, 52 people are detained there.
“We lack the ability to grow any further in a community that is absolutely still growing,” he said.
The total cost of the project is $76 million. In addition to the $56 million that would come from the bond, the other $20 million would be paid through bonds issued to the city.
The bond measure will go up for a vote this November. If approved, work will begin on designing the new building next year, and homeowners in Puyallup would pay around an extra $180 in annual property taxes.
The police department has made its case to voters about the need for new facilities since 2021 but has so far failed to get enough support.
Business owner Chris Chisholm says the issue for him isn’t the police station, it’s the jail.
“We don’t need a whole new jail,” he said. “We need some holding facilities, where people who are waiting to appear in front of the judge can be held.”
Like many cities, Puyallup makes use of the Pierce County Jail for felony arrests, but Engle says staff shortages make the county jail unreliable.
“Our officers face booking restrictions at the Pierce County Jail on a daily basis for felony offenders,” Engle said. “We absolutely disagree that they are going to be able to take misdemeanor offenders from Puyallup on the amount and consistency that we need to ensure safety and security in our community.”
Chisholm says the money could be spent on other services that Puyallup needs.
“All of those infrastructure projects are not going to happen for another 25 years here in Puyallup,” he said.
But Engle says this is an investment in the community that will pay off for Puyallup in the long term.
“We control our checkbook, we control our staffing, we control the programs that we have,” he said. “That is very important when you’re managing taxpayer dollars.”