County boosts fine-collecting

Spokane County’s newest collection agents drive green-and-white cars and carry guns.

In a bid to boost compliance with court-ordered restitution payments, Spokane County sheriff’s deputies are being enlisted in the search for convicts who are failing to make good on their crime debts.

“We are going to hunt these people down and they are going to go to jail,” said Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk. “That starts right away. The victims of Spokane County need to know that we are on their side.”

The emphasis is in response to the frustration Spokane County Clerk Thomas Fallquist expressed this spring to other criminal justice officials about his efforts to tackle the $86 million backlog created by felons who have refused to pay court-ordered fees and restitution to crime victims. Sterk and Prosecutor Steve Tucker pledged their support.

As a result, Fallquist has begun sending Sterk a new list every week of those felons who have been contacted and have either refused to show up to court or restart payment plans to erase their debt.

Also supporting the move is Spokane Valley Police Chief Cal Walker. “There is muscle behind it now,” Walker said of the interagency emphasis.

Fallquist couldn’t be happier with the cooperation from his partners in the justice system, he said. Each day in the past three weeks, a new felon has called to either pay off the entire amount or asked to start a new payment plan.

“We are just at the starting point of getting some felons’ attention,” he said.

The state Department of Corrections once was empowered to collect most of the fees and restitution. But a new law put that responsibility on clerks of court in Washington to collect fees from the scofflaws who stopped paying their court-ordered restitution.

“We are still in our learning curve. As we get going, this process is going to be successful,” Fallquist said. “Does that mean we are going to take care of this huge backlog? Not likely.

“The hard part is we know how big the backlog is and it is a little bit overwhelming,” he continued. “We also know the court is adding cases every day that are brand new.”

Currently, Fallquist and his staff are contacting convicted felons, reminding them that they are delinquent in paying their fines. Some have responded or have showed up when their cases have been sent to the hearing every Friday before Superior Court Judge Kathleen O’Connor.

“We allow them to discuss their situation and their payment options,” he said. “We or the judge works out a payment plan.”

However, if the felon refuses to pay or show up to court, Fallquist contacts Tucker’s office and asks prosecutors to seek felony arrest warrants against the offenders. A judge then signs those orders and Fallquist gives the list of 15 to 25 names to Sterk.

“We are going to go grab them,” Sterk said of the names on the list.

He doesn’t expect that the new arrests will fill the jail.

“We’ll bring them in here and get them in front of Tom” Fallquist, Sterk said. “Tom will make arrangements with them right away to put them back on a payment schedule. And if they agree to that, he’s willing to let them go.

“But if I have to go out and hunt them down again, they will have to stay in jail until a judge decides what to do with them. These people need to pay their victims back for what they lost.”

Fallquist pointed out that the entire system is complicated and time consuming, especially since it means more work for already busy staffs.

“This is an effort that without any question has to be a team,” he said. “It wouldn’t happen if I didn’t have the support of the other players in the justice system.”

Walker and Sterk supplied this week the latest list of Spokane County residents who currently have active felony warrants for their arrest for failing to pay restitution. They expect publicity of the list may convince some of the felons to contact Fallquist.

“Hopefully without incarcerating them, they will come down here and say I’m willing to start coming through,” Walker said. “Maybe it will help eliminate some of the manpower it’s going to take to start getting restitution for some of these victims.”