The Enumclaw Police Department officially celebrated the reopening of its jail today, May 29.

Although the jail opened to inmates earlier in mid-May, members Enumclaw’s administration, city council, and the Chamber of Commerce received a tour from Chief Tim Floyd after the ribbon cutting.

Construction on the jail began last February after a previous construction company hired by the city late last year made an error with their bid, pushing out work on the building into 2025.

Most of the improvements were made to the booking area; according to Floyd, the space increased “five times” what it was before by taking out a few walls, allowing for some safety and quality-of-life improvements.

Safety-wise, there are now new door locking mechanisms; if the door entering the jail is open, the others leaving the jail cannot be unlocked.

Additionally, the new space allows for officers to perform not one, but two pat-downs, and there’s also a new area where inmates get their mug shot.

Quality of life improvements include more working space for officers, more space for inmates to change into their new clothes, and a corner that is used as a medical space for inmates to take medicine or receive mental health treatments.

The new medical space allows the EPD to come into compliance with the state’s Medication Opiate Use Disorder (MOUD) and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs.

Additionally, new storage space for the jail library, food, and other items are now located in the jail; previously, officers had to exit the jail to retrieve these items.

Finally, the inmates have new showers.

The whole project cost roughly $429,000.