WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has announced in-person visitation at the County jail will resume in December after years of only video and phone contact.

The in-person visits were suspended in early 2022 with the jail claiming a failure in their elevator system made them unsafe for the public use. Representatives say the delayed repair time was due to the infrastructure being so old that replacement parts were not readily available.

Sheriff Donnell “Tank” Tanksley was quoted saying he understands the importance of in-person visitation for the well-being and rehabilitation of detainees.

Visitations are set to return December 7th, keeping the previous schedule of being available only on weekends.