Sheriff releases year-end report

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has had a busy year, as outlined in a 34-page report presented by Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse and Undersheriff Darrel Chapman at the Jackson County Commission meeting on Monday. 

“Our staff is honored to serve the citizens of Jackson County,” Sheriff Morse said. “They are out there proactively looking for criminals.”

The following are several items of the report highlighted by Morse at the meeting.

Vehicles

Morse projected that most of the office’s old Crown Victorias will be replaced in 2016 due to high mileage. The Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is no longer being manufactured, and the office has transitioned to other vehicles, including Dodge Chargers, Dodge pickups, Ford Explorers and Chevrolet Tahoes, he said.

“We’re going to start trading in vehicles that have 95,000 miles on them so we can get a better resale value for them,” Morse said. 

In the past, Morse said when Crown Victorias were traded in, the office only received $1,000 per car. By trading them in sooner, Morse said the office is expected to receive as much as $10,000 per vehicle.

“This will allow us to keep a newer fleet and will reduce repair expenses,” he said. 

In 2015, the sheriff’s office purchased a Polaris UTV to use for manhunts, rescue operations and other off-road use. The vehicle was used to patrol the new Jackson County Fairgrounds and has been used extensively during the search for Joan Rebar, a Mayetta woman who has been missing since September.

Patrol Division

“The most recent Kansas Bureau of Investigation statistics show that the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has made more adult arrests than any of the six surrounding county agencies,” Morse said.

In 2015, the patrol division responded to or initiated 846 escorts/transports, 45 mental/suicidal reports, 2,127 civil process, 842 warrants, 2,811 car stops, 51 driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, 244 non-injury accidents, 137 injury accidents, eight structure fires, 170 alarm calls, 29 fight calls, 127 domestic calls, 50 assault/battery/harassment incidents, 566 animal calls, 797 citizen assists, 526 911 hang up calls, 106 disturbance calls, 495 suspicious person/activity reports, 99 juvenile calls, 43 sex offenses, 118 welfare checks, 130 theft calls, 837 receive information/service request, 708 traffic problems, 4,158 building/area checks, 26 illegal hunting/criminal trespass calls, 387 back up/assist other agencies, 30 search warrants, 70 vandalism/criminal damage to property calls, 23 illegal trash dumps and 388 calls requesting to speak with a deputy. 

911 Communications Center

The dispatch center receives all 911 calls from the county and dispatches them for the sheriff’s office, jail, two police departments, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, Kansas Highway Patrol, eight fire departments and two ambulance services. 

Morse reported to the commissioners that the communications center handled 20,248 incidents in 2015 and received a total of 58,545 calls. Of those calls, 3,840 were 911 calls, and 787 came from landlines and 2,529 were made with a wireless phone.

Investigation Division

The county’s investigation division investigated an estimated 138 cases, which is up from 114 cases the previous year. Of the 138 cases, 32 were burglaries, 24 were thefts, 26 were sex-related, 29 were narcotics and 18 were death investigations. 

Additional cases included arson, aggravated battery, aggravated assault and identity and financial crimes, Morse reported. 

The investigation division also applied for and received 43 search warrants in 2015, which is an increase from 21 in 2014.

“This year has been very, very busy,” Morse said. 

Jackson County Jail Improvements

Morse noted a number of upgrades made to the jail in the past year. A new plumbing system was added to allow employees to have control of the plumbing in the facility in order to reduce water waste, as well as prevent inmates from flushing contraband.

“Prior to the upgrade, some inmates would repeatedly flush toilets causing a tremendous over-usage of water,” Morse said. “Inmates have also flooded cells. With the new system, when a toilet is flushed more than twice within five minutes, the toilet is then locked down.”

The showers were also renovated and also placed on timers. 

Additional security measures were put in place in 2015, including the installation of more video surveillance cameras. The control room door was also relocated for more security.

Inmate Housing Contract

A new inmate housing contract was signed between the county and the Kansas Department of Corrections in 2015, and the county began housing some of the department’s inmates in June. 

As part of the partnership, the KDOC has allowed county corrections officers to attend a five-week training academy for free, Morse said.

This past year, 1,441 inmates were booked into the Jackson County Jail from outside agencies, generating $496,074.03, Morse reported.

Communications Tower

The sheriff’s office purchased a communications tower near Circleville from Kansas Broadband at a cost of $7,000 this past year. The tower was purchased from money obtained from conducting VIN inspections. 

The tower hosts a repeater for the sheriff’s office and one for the road and bridge department.

The county previously spent $10,000 per year renting space on the tower. Morse estimated that building a new 300-foot tower would have cost $100,000. 

Sheriff’s Office Staff

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has 52 employees, including the sheriff, undersheriff, jail captain, three detectives, 11 full-time patrol deputies, five part-time deputies, a full-time security deputy, a part-time court security deputy, a support service deputy, eight dispatchers, 16 corrections officers, an administrative assistant and a part-time administrative assistant. The agency also has one school resource deputy and a grant-funded victim services coordinator. 

“Our law enforcement officers and deputies appreciate your unparalleled support,” Morse said. “These are dangerous times among dangerous people. While some tend to believe that we, in rural law enforcement, are much safer than in the city, that belief is not true, and our nearest back up can be 30 miles away. Our deputies risk their lives every single day, every time they step out of the patrol unit and approach a driver. Each time they respond to a call, their lives are on the line. We have outstanding people with lots of talent.”