Shovels broke ground on Aug. 10, 2009 in a patch of unused forest south of the SeaTac Airport in Des Moines.

The goal was to build the South Correctional Facility (SCORE), a collective jail paid for by the cities of Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton and Auburn after King County told them they would need to find or build a new jail by 2012.

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“As we were standing there thinking of this moment I can tell you that we had many naysayers,” SCORE Director Penny Bartley said at the official opening of SCORE on Sept. 8. “People told us that we could never do this. We could never build it on the time schedule that we had, we could never build it for the budget we had.”

Two years later, the facility was officially opened on schedule and $5 million under budget, according to Bartley.

Law enforcement and elected officials from the seven South King County cities gathered at the jail located on 17th Ave S. in Des Moines for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the new facility. SCORE had a budget of nearly $98 million and the result is a 164,000 square foot facility on 15 acres with capacity for 813 inmates (male and female) in 14 different housing pods.

“Well, I must say that this is the best use of noise-impacted land that the city has,” Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler said as jetliners flew over at five-minute intervals in their descent to SeaTac Airport . “Once upon a time this was slated to be nothing, and now look what we have done.”

“We have a natural series of partnerships that take place is South County,” Auburn Mayor Pete Lewis said. “South County comes together in times of need … and we were able to coalesce into a group far quicker than most of the rest of the region. We moved quickly; we found a site; we came together as a group of cities.”

After the ribbon cutting, which included Burien Councilmember Rose Clark, everyone was invited inside to tour the jail.

During the tour, Des Moines Police Chief John O’Leary said the new jail will speed things up and lead to more officers patrolling the streets instead of transporting arrestees to the Regional Justice Center in Kent, which is only open until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or to the King County Jail in downtown Seattle. O’Leary said that commute can take his officers off the streets for up to two hours, depending on traffic.

O’Leary said the cost of sending arrestees to SCORE versus King County Jail is significantly less for the seven cities as well.

“We’re saving citizens a lot of money,” he said.

According to SCORE Training Sgt. Al Erwin, who conducted the tour, the average stay for inmates is 14 days and most of them arrive on misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor charges.

Inmates wear the classic black and white striped jumpsuits which helps staff quickly identify a prisoner, Erwin said. The walls inside are all painted white, a decision Erwin said calms inmates and makes it easier for staff to see those wandering off the beaten path – their jumpsuits sticking out against the stark background.

Guards work 12 hour shifts in a three days on, three days off cycle and have a few amenities including a gym and a sleeping quarters for those who prefer to stay at the jail for their next shift or avoid driving in bad weather conditions.

The jail has two transport vehicles that will shuttle freed inmates back to their cities, dropping them off near one of seven city halls.

When arrestees come to SCORE they are first taken into a decontamination area where they strip down to a single layer of clothing and go through metal detectors.

Next is the admission office where calm inmates are processed smoothly. Irate inmates are held in padded admission holding cells until they calm, sometimes restrained in a “WRAP,” or as Erwin called it, “the burrito.”

From there, the involuntary visitors are taken to one of 14 housing pods that can hold up to 66 inmates each. The pods are designated male or female and can change at anytime depending on the gender makeup of the jail population.

There is a medical unit Erwin said is mostly used for inmates going through drug or alcohol withdrawals, but also available for any medical conditions, including dental work. The only thing they can’t do, according to Erwin, is surgery.

Inmates are also required to work while incarcerated, helping to cook meals and do laundry leading to operational cost cuts, Erwin said.