Sheriff says 2010 has been ‘challenging’

“The summer months have been a lot more active for us,” he said.

Though Smith expects activity may taper down as the weather cools, he still expects the number of calls handled by his deputies to far exceed the number handled in 2009.

Currently, Smith is projecting his office will respond to 98,000 calls for service by the end of the year – a 12.6 percent increase over 2009.

In a speech to the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce last week, Smith said the challenge facing his department is to continue providing the same level of high quality services with fewer resources.

Like many other government departments, the Sheriff’s Office is dealing with serious budget constraints.

However, with crime increasing, cost cutting measures can result in an already dangerous job becoming even more so.

According to Smith, the Sheriff’s Office is experiencing an increase in crime. So far this year, the department has handled an average of 336 crimes against persons cases a month, up from an average of 271 in 2009.

Property crime is also on the rise, Smith said. Last year, deputies handled an average of 152 cases a month. This year, that number has increased to an average of 184 cases each month.

With 164 square miles to cover and an average of seven deputies per shift, each deputy must cover a territory of approximately 23 square miles.

While that number is daunting, even more shocking is the fact that, with a population of 72,000 in Barrow County, there is only one deputy per shift for every 10,000 citizens.

Despite being stretched thin, Barrow County Sheriff’s deputies arrested over 4,900 people last year and are on track to lock up more than 5,400 in 2010.

In addition to the challenges facing the patrol division, the Sheriff’s Office must also deal with housing an average of 310 inmates each day. Last year, the department prepared and served 288,000 inmate meals.

Smith said if the average family of four were to prepare three meals a day, seven days a week, it would take 65 years to provide the same number of meals his detention center staff prepares each year.

Despite the difficulties of increased crime and fewer resources, Smith remains optimistic and committed to serve the citizens of Barrow County.

In the past year, the Sheriff’s Office created a specialized unit to combat domestic violence, hosted a car seat safety program, taught a burglary prevention program, prepared for state certification and conducted various other crime prevention and community outreach activities.

The Sheriff’s Office is also reaching out to the public through the Sheriff’s weekly radio broadcast on WIMO and through the “Cop Talk” television program shown on WTV21.

Smith said even though the Sheriff’s Office is very busy, he and his deputies are committed to serving the citizens of Barrow County with character and integrity.