State and local officials are investigating a Seattle-area corrections department after a whistleblower alleged the county was hiring unqualified immigrants as guards, according to a complaint filed with Washington state authorities.
“Individuals have been hired while holding only temporary work visas, and in some cases, with expired work authorization altogether,” the unnamed whistleblower wrote to the state’s Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC), regarding hirings in King County. “These hires are in direct violation of the statutory requirements set forth by state law.”
The whistleblower was identified only as an officer from the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention.
The department said in a statement that it is actively investigating the complaint and denied that any of the guards were illegal immigrants, even though some appear to have failed to meet the legal eligibility requirements.
“However, it appears that King County may have improperly applied a requirement set forth by a Washington State statute that limits the categories of workers eligible to serve as corrections officers in our adult jail facilities,” a spokesperson said. “King County takes this potential oversight seriously and is actively investigating and taking remedial steps as necessary.”
The state’s training commission told Fox News Digital that while it trains newly hired corrections officers, it’s the responsibility of the hiring agencies to vet the candidates. However, after learning of the whistleblower complaint, county officials told the commission that four of its recent hires did not meet eligibility requirements, and they were expelled from the training program.
A pedestrian crosses the street near the King County Correctional Facility in downtown Seattle, Washington, U.S., September 17, 2020. (REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson)
“The agency is aware of the complaint and we are conducting an open investigation into King County’s hiring practices,” WSCJTC spokesman David Quinlan told Fox News Digital.
The county is cooperating with the probe, he added, and the state will decertify anyone it uncovers who fails to meet the legal qualification requirements.
King County is the largest in the state and includes Seattle and some of its suburbs.
