Sheriff's department books 2,438 in 2007
SHERIFF JAMES CAMPBELL Cherokee County

JAMES CAMPBELL

It's hard to believe that this year is already drawing to a close. The Cherokee County Sheriff 's Department has had a very busy year as usual.

The Cherokee County jail is the largest division of the sheriff 's department and has the largest number of employees. The first 10 months of this year the jail had an average population of 150 inmates per day. We have booked 2,438 people this year and have transported 93 convicted felons to TDCJ. By law we cannot house juveniles in our facility and we have transported 187 juveniles to the Anderson County Juvenile Detention Facility in Palestine. Since the commissioner's court voted to expand our jail to 189 beds, we have not been overcrowded and the past two years we have housed between 10 to 20 inmates per day for the City of Tyler. We charge $35 per day for each inmate. Besides the money brought in to the county for housing these inmates, our jail commissary and inmate phone system generate thousands of dollars per year.

Although their numbers are small, our reserve deputies work many hours per year for this department. They are used for patrol, inmate transport and security. These officers are fully certified officers and are capable of performing all tasks.

Our communications department is the busiest. We dispatch for every fire department and law enforcement agency in the county with the exception of the city of Jacksonville. This includes city, county and state agencies. By year's end our communications department will have received thousands of calls from the public. They will have received more than six thousand 911 calls as well. We were able to add two additional communication officer positions this year.

Our civil department handles more than 4,000 civil papers and generates more than $200,000 in civil fees each year. We have one full time civil officer. This officer as well as all deputies serves civil papers.

Our DARE program is still operating in all of Cherokee County Schools. Sgt. Robin Parsons presents this antidrug program to the children. The students, parents and teachers like the program and I feel that is well worth the effort and expense. DARE relies on assistance in funding from the United Way as well as individual businesses, and we are thankful for their assistance. Teaching children the consequences of drug use and gang violence is important for them as well as all adults.

The commissioner's court approved funding for an additional patrol deputy and a drug investigator this year. This will give us 15 patrol deputies, which will help a great deal. The deputies patrol the entire county, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Deputies live in all sections of the county and this helps cut down on response time. Detectives investigate all major crimes as well as register sex offenders. Cherokee County currently has almost 100 registered sex offenders. The additional drug investigator will help in our continuous war on drugs. By year's end we will have made well over 100 drug arrests, along with seizing thousands of dollars in drug money and several vehicles belonging to drug dealers. Most of our equipment used in the investigation of illegal drugs has been purchased with seized drug money.

The Cherokee County Sheriff 's Department is in the process of reorganizing its SWAT team. Each year more search and arrests warrants are executed. The department deals with subjects who are armed and must be extracted.

Proper training and equipment are necessary for the safety of officers and the public. Most of the training and equipment for this team is paid with seized drug money and grants. Many drug arrests come as a result of citizens wanting to help rid their neighborhood of drug dealers and all the trash they draw. We appreciate their information and will investigate all tips. Law enforcement relies on the assistance of the public every day. Any crime stoppers tips given will be confidential.

The Cherokee County Sheriff 's Department is looking forward to providing citizens with the quality of service and protection they deserve in 2008.