Retired King County sheriff urges voters to keep ‘absolutely critical’ crime-fighting levy

King County voters will go to the polls next week for a special election. A familiar tax levy is on the ballot, which funds the county’s Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). The system is used by every law enforcement agency in the county.

“We watch on TV, and we hear nothing except DNA, DNA, DNA, but it’s really fingerprints that are the backbone of identifying people that have committed crimes,” retired King County Sheriff John Urquhart said.

How much will the levy cost voters?

The levy has been on the books since the mid-1980s and contains fingerprints of almost a million people. Voters have routinely voted to reauthorize the levy every seven years. The levy is about 2 ¾ cents per $1,000 of the assessed value of a home. That means in year one, the owner of a home assessed at $650,000 pays about $20.

“This is just the continuation of a levy that’s been there for years, and years, and years and from a crime-fighting standpoint, it is absolutely critical,” Urquhart said.

Over the years, passage has been pretty routine, but in these economic times, nothing is certain.

“You never want to get too complacent. This is a tough year for taxes, and people need to look at this closely. But, the benefits are absolutely incredible compared to the cost,” Urquhart said.

The measure only requires a simple majority for passage. Ballots must be placed in a drop box or postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day, April 22.

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