Talks have begun to reopen Precinct 3 of the King County Sheriff’s Office, also known as the East Precinct Headquarters, which was closed in late 2011 due to budget cuts.

At the Maple Valley City Council meeting June 24 City Manager David Johnston told the council the precinct, the building for which is located at the corner of state Route 169 and Southeast 231st Street, is expected to reopen the end of this year or early next year. Johnston told the council the reopened precinct is expected to be smaller but that it may also be home to the sheriff’s office special operations unit.

Sgt. Katie Larson, who was filling in for spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West last week, said in an email that reopening the precinct is still in the planning stages and that the King County Council will have to approve its reopening.

With the closure of Precinct 3 the Sheriff’s Office moved into a smaller office in Covington City Hall.

“I had the terrible choice of cutting deputies or shutting down stations,” King County Sheriff Sue Rahr told the Reporter in Aug. 2011.

That year Rahr was directed to cut 3 percent of the Sheriff’s Office budget. Other cutbacks included laying off 12 deputies and the Kenmore station also closed.