September 10, 2025
To: Satpal Sidhu, Whatcom County Executive; Whatcom County Council members, and IPRTF members
Dear Whatcom County leadership,
We would like to applaud the services of Village Reach and their analysis of the success of the sales-tax-funded Justice Project goals. We concur with their findings and support their recommendations.
The Riveters Collective has paid close attention throughout the launching of the voter-approved sales tax for the jail and behavioral health measures and the implementation of the Justice Project. It has become increasingly clear to us that data collected throughout the local justice system, from initial police interactions→ arrest→ court system → jail or behavioral health program→ post-incarceration, is woefully incomplete. This lack of comprehensive data has resulted in a weak baseline from which to plan future actions. Extrapolation of data from limited information or national estimates do not represent Whatcom County well, nor the strides we have made through diversion programs such as the drug court, LEAD, and GRACE program, and others.
We fully support the numerous recommendations regarding data collection and aggregation made in the June 2025 Village Reach report, including:
- High-level need for a full-time, dedicated staff member to coordinate and keep the project driving forward.
- Creation of shared data type definitions needed to evaluate the Justice Project (so that all agencies entering data into the system understand what data is requested).
- Creation of a multi-agency, data-sharing system.
- Launch of a public-facing data database early in the process to show transparency to the public.
- Expand data collection to extend across the breadth of the justice system from initial police interaction through post-incarceration or behavioral health programs.
We implore you to hire a full-time employee as soon as possible to support this vital work of the Justice Project. The county should prioritize general or grant program funds to support a dedicated staff person for this important work.
Sincerely,
Justice System Committee, Riveters Collective