Citing increasing costs to the city, Renton will discontinue hosting the electronic home monitoring service after about 30 years, noting that other private organizations also offer the service.

In a statement, Renton Police Department Chief Jon Schuldt stated that the department would discontinue the electronic home monitoring (EHM) services it provides. According to Schuldt, EHM is no longer financially feasible for the city to maintain as a service, given the numerous private vendors available. At an Oct. 6 council meeting, Schuldt clarified that people in the Renton Municipal Court may still be placed on EHM, but Renton is just no longer hosting the service.

Electronic home monitoring, according to King County, is a program that allows defendants to serve all or part of their pre-trial or sentenced time at home. Defendants are monitored electronically and confined to their homes, except when following an approved schedule that includes attending work, school or treatment.

Schuldt said the department decided to discontinue EHM services after a thorough and lengthy review, which made it clear that the program is not fiscally viable nor responsible to continue. Schuldt said it is his responsibility to ensure the department is being a good steward of its budget, and the program’s costs made it inefficient to continue.

“I am in a position where I must ensure resources are directed in a way that provides the greatest value to our community. Continuing to subsidize this program would be irresponsible on my part,” Schuldt said. “I am very empathetic toward our affected members and understand that this may not be a popular decision, but I believe it is the right one for our organization.”

According to data provided by the Renton Police Department, the EHM program ended with a $294,000 deficit, and it’s expected to end with a $311,000 deficit through 2025. According to the data, the program has had a deficit of over $200,000 every year since 2020, as well as a $199,000 deficit in 2019. The total deficit since 2019 has totaled over $2 million, according to the data.

According to the data, revenue from Auburn and Burien courts that utilized Renton’s EHM services has been increasing. Auburn and Burien were estimated to account for about 80% of 2025 revenues, according to the data. However, the data states that the revenue from people who are in Renton’s court system has been decreasing.

According to the Renton Police Guild, Renton’s EHM program was established in 1995, and the two employees who run the program have been part of it for 26 years and 33 years, respectively. According to the guild, to its best understanding, the program will not be cut unless the council approves the mid-biennial budget that eliminates EHM’s funding.

According to the guild, those two employees would be laid off due to the discontinuation of EHM. The guild stated that it’s possible those employees can transition to another position within the Renton Police Department, but the process is ongoing.

According to the guild, the total annual cost of running the EHM program in 2024, including employee compensation, equipment rentals and general expenses, was $643,000. Despite the costs, the guild stated that more could have been done to keep the program. The guild stated that the city’s use of private contractors instead of having its own EHM program will be done at the expense of public safety, personalized service and the rehabilitation rate.

“The Guild feels more could have been done to keep the program. The primary problem at the moment is Renton is being ‘paid back’ at a 20% rate by the participants in our program,” the guild stated. “We were just told the program was ending at the end of the year. One would think this could have been done in stages, starting several years ago by defining certain benchmarks that would have to be hit.”