Sheriff's Report Shows Calls Up In 2006

DATE: JAN. 16,2007
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: SHERIFF GARRY WELFORD
SUBJ. 2006 ACTIVITIES REPORT FOR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
Attached to this memo you will find an activity report of some of the Sheriff's department activities for the 2006 calendar year as well as a comparison to the two previous years. I believe that if you read and pay attention to this report, it will confirm what I have been telling you all year. George County is growing and changing, and the problems associated with that growth are catching up with us. The Sheriff's Department is struggling at our present funding level to keep up. My Officers are working hard to answer all the calls for service and we are still not able to answer all the complaints. Since January 1,2006 and through December 31, 2006 the Dispatch phone recorded 195,633 calls to the Office or 16,403 more than the previous year. Total arrests and citations are up to 2,793 for 2006. That is 33.5% more than in 2005, and 90% more than in 2004. Felonies, or those crimes which could send a person to prison for more than one year rose by 5.2% to 241 for 2006. Total narcotics cases increased to 459 in 2006, a 49.5% increase over 2005 when 307 cases were made. Felony narcotics cases actually decreased by 11.7% to 120. This is due to the fact that the manufacture and use of meth has declined dramatically over the past two years. We have put a lot of emphasis on the meth problem and it has paid off, however marijuana use, cocaine use and prescription drug use and abuse, have exploded since the influx of people arrived in the county following Hurricane Katrina. The fact that the Sheriff's department lost both of our experienced narcotics agents to better paying jobs this year might also account for apart of the decrease in felony arrests for narcotics cases. This year a total of98 DUI cases went through Justice Court. Of that 98 Dill's, 72 were made by Sheriff's Officers, the other 26 were made by State Troopers. In 2005 a total of 67 DUI cases went through Justice Court and in 2004, 72 DUI cases went through the Court. The most alarming statistic on this report is the increase in the number of juveniles that were detained by the Sheriff's department 325 juveniles or a 23% increase over the 264 detained in 2005 and an increase of 122% over the 146 juveniles detained in 2004. As you can see the trips that had to be made to the juvenile detention center in Hattiesburg also increased, as did trips to the two training schools. Vehicle accidents were also on the increase, 253 for 2006, up 39% over the 182 accidents in 2005.
If you read and look at the numbers in this report, you should be able to see the trends and what we have to look forward to in George County. I am not saying that George County is not a safe place to .live and raise a family, because it is. What I am saying is that the Sheriff's Department is quickly falling behind in being able to service our constituents and meet their needs. This past year alone the Sheriff's Department lost 6 deputies to other departments for better pay. That loss amounted to over 40 years of law enforcement experience. We spend a lot of money on Officers in training and certifications, some that are required by minimum standards and some I chose to do in order to make the Sheriff's Department a more professional Department that could better serve the citizens. Now I have to start all over again and it is going to cost more to train new Officers. I personally believe that is more economical to adjust salaries than it is to train new Officers, but to do that I need your support in the budgetary process. The Sheriff's department is no better than the employees are and I am afraid that if we keep losing our experienced Officers, the County as a whole will suffer. I have told you every time I submitted a budget request that I was not asking for more just to have more; I have told you that I needed more to do my job. This report should indicate that fact to you.
On the jail side of the Sheriff's Department we prepared and served 50,071 meals to county prisoners at Ctn average cost of 54.8 cents per meal. We averaged keeping 46 inmates per day as compared to keeping an average of 40 per day last year. Our new shop and educational facility was completed and is now in operation. All of the Sheriff's Department minor repairs and vehicle servicing and installation of equipment in vehicles is done at the facility at tremendous savings to the taxpayers. We are now in the process of instituting vocational pr9grams for the inmates that will hopefully help prepare them to become productive citizens upon their release.. We now have a certified trainer on staff at the jail to train our new Officers without having to send them off site to become certified corrections officers, again saving the taxpayers dollars. The facility underwent the mandatory three year ACA audit in 2006 and out of 62 mandatory standards checked the facility scored 100% and out of 466 non-mandatory standards the facility scored 99.5%. Everything was in order and available to the three auditors and according to them, the audit was completed in record time. This is a tremendous accomplishment that speaks well on the professionalism of the Warden and his entire staff. ACA accreditation as you are aware is required by the Department Of Corrections for the facility to maintain State inmates. Turnover of employees at the jail is a problem that will have to be continually addressed as I have already found out State employees will be getting a salary increase this year and to keep employees we have to compete with the prison in Greene County.
Total Offense Reports Filed 1,719 in 2006; 1,777 in 2005 and 1,709 in 2004; Total Arrest 2,793 in 2006; 2,093 in 2005 and 1,469 in 2004; Total Felonies 241 in 2006; 229 in 2005, and 220 in 2004; Total Drug Arrest 459 in 2006; 307 in 2005, and 238 in 2004; Felony Drug Arrest 120 in 2006; 136 in 2005 and 136 in 2004; D.U.I.s were 72 in 2006; 67 in 2005, and 72 in 2004; Juviniles Detained 325 in 2006; 264 in 2005, and 146 in 2004; Trips to Dentention Centers 169 in 2006; 133 in 2005, and 93 in 2004; Vehicle Accident Reported 253 in 2006; 182 in 2005, and 198 in 2004; Highway Litter Removal 7,069 in 2006, and 6,439 in 2005; Total Department Phone Calls received 195,633 in 2006, and 179, 230 in 2005; Total 911 Calls included 2,470 in 2006 and 2,772 in 2005.