Livingston County Sheriff Department Struggles to Keep Up With Emergency Calls

A Midland Empire agency struggles to lay down the law. The Livingston County Sheriff`s department is flooded with emergency calls and officers are doing what they can to keep up. Livingston County dispatchers have received more than 1,800 911 calls in just six months. Five years ago they answered less than that in an entire year. The increase is keeping the sheriff`s department and its seven deputies busy. Sheriff Steve Cox said, "We want to be proactive with our community and citizens and that`s probably what`s hurting the most." The demand also hurts investigations. Cox said, "Instead of being able to wrap something up in a week it will be two weeks or a month." Cox says the rise in calls isn`t caused by an increase of any certain crime, rather community development. Cox said, "If you look at what`s going on in Chillicothe they`re getting ready to start building new women`s prison, they have the new retail center in Southeast Chillicothe, we`re getting a lot of businesses being built right now and there`s a lot of talk of others coming to town." Just this year the department added 45 addresses to it`s emergency response list and mapped five new roads. The sheriff says even if the census doesn`t show it, the county`s population is growing and so is the jail`s population. The jail housed 125 more inmates this year than last. That stretches an already stressed department even thinner. Cox points to a desk full of reports all heading to the prosecuting attorney. Prosecutor Doug Roberts` calendar is full of new cases but he says a busy schedule is a good thing. Roberts said, "I don`t think it reflects an increase in the crime rate I think it`s the public`s confidence in the law enforcement and their ability and willingness to report things and rely on law enforcement to do it`s job." The sheriff is concerned he won`t be able to keep that up without more man power. The department`s request for an extra officer was denied last year. Cox said, "If our calls for service steady out or increase we`re going to have to do something. No one wants to work in a position were they feel they aren`t giving accurate service. I don`t think that we are but I think we could do it better." The Livingston County jail will get a much needed makeover during the next few months. The upgrades include electrical work, new toilets and a new camera system.