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The Mountlake Terrace City Council at its July 10 meeting approved an agreement that will provide a part-time social services worker to assist police. Mountlake Terrace Police Cmdr. Scott King said that the interlocal agreement with the Snohomish County Outreach Team, also called SCOUT, calls for the social worker to be embedded with the department. The 0.5 FTE (full-time equivalent) position will help police address issues such as homelessness, mental health and substance misuse. The position will be shared with the Lynnwood Police Department.
The program runs from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026, with the fees and services shared between the two police departments.
The cost is $131,080.50, with $88,669.50 covered by grants from the Verdant Health Commission paid through the City of Lynnwood. The City of Mountlake Terrace will pay $42,330.50 with funding awarded from a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) by Washington state for the pharmaceutical company’s role in the opioid epidemic.
King said that the costs for 2026 are not known yet, but funding sources are being sought.
In a June 18, 2024, press release, the Washington State Office of the Attorney General (AG) stated that J&J’s “aggressive marketing of opioids systematically overstated the effectiveness of the drugs for treating pain long term and understated the risk of addiction.”
Further, the AG’s statement said that J&J marketed its opioid-based drugs for chronic conditions like headaches, low back pain and fibromyalgia, regardless of evidence showing they were not effective at treating those conditions.
King said that the program will also provide those in need with services, including:
– Shelter and housing, such as hotel stays or rental assistance.
– Housing support such as application fees and move-in supplies.
– ORCA cards and transportation assistance for treatment and medical needs.
– Flexible client assistance funds for food, clothing, medicine and other items or services. Alcohol, tobacco and firearms are prohibited.
King stated that there are limits to the level of assistance police can provide with flexible spending, noting it functions similarly to the BlueBridge program, which the department also uses,.
“If we’re helping somebody fix their car, we’re not going to redo a whole transmission,” King said.
That limit is $7,500, which King said is “like a grant” from SCOUT.
Also, like BlueBridge, officers send their receipts and reports to SCOUT for reimbursement, King explained. However, they will use their department credit card rather than an organization-provided card.
King said one of the key benefits of the program is that it frees officers to focus on core law enforcement by diverting social service cases to SCOUT.
Also, the program provides tailored outreach, engagement and referrals for those with social service needs, as well as enhances community support, King said.
Leadership and Advocacy Manager for the Arc of Snohomish County, Courtney Criss, accepted the proclamation recognizing Disability Pride Month in Mountlake Terrace. It was presented by Mayor Kyoko Matsumoto Wright.
Criss, the mother of two children with Down syndrome, spoke of the 1990 protest that became known as the Capitol Crawl, during which more than 500 protesters marched on the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. to advocate for accessibility rights.
During the protest, physically disabled protesters, from children to seniors, crawled up the 83 steps to the entrance of the building to display how the people’s most important institutions were not accessible to all.
To learn more about The Arc and Disability Pride month, click here.
The July 17 council meeting has been canceled.
The council’s next meeting will be a work/study session at 7 p.m., July 24, at Mountlake Terrace City Hall, 23204 58th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace. To attend the meeting online, visit zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID 810 1113 9518; no passcode is needed.
To make a public comment remotely, complete the registration form within 24 hours of the meeting’s start.
To listen via telephone, call 1-253-215-8782 and enter the same meeting ID.
You can also view livestreamed meetings and past video recordings at www.youtube.com/cityofmlt.
The agenda can be viewed here.
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