| All of a sudden, Governor Gregoire is “outraged” to learn that felons are being released from jails in King County prior to completing their sentences for violating conditions of their release. Yet, as our Attorney General in 2003, she was well aware of a new Corrections Department policy to quietly downgrade felons to a status requiring minimum oversight (if any) for those rated highly likely to re-offend.
Her “outrage” is nothing more than an attempt to limit the damage from a growing, explosive controversy. Police Officers have been killed by parole violators. Child rapists and violent offenders have been released early so as to ease workloads and save resources.
Governor Gregoire even states that, “public safety is a priority of my administration”. Who are you kidding? We have been shipping prisoners out of state for years due to Olympia leaders’ unwillingness to prioritize public resources for jails, prisons, and help for the brave community corrections officers who were literally handcuffed by the aforementioned policies.
The Governor mentioned multiple priorities for spending the $1.9 billion surplus during this legislative session. Missing among her priorities was anything significant relating to public safety. The Governor’s lack of leadership on this issue is nothing short of an outrage.
Bill and Delaney Harmond
Gig Harbor | 
