During the public-input portion of the June 26 meeting, the county sheriff addressed the commission to warn residents about phone scams impersonating sheriff’s office employees.

“...the sheriff's office is not reaching out to anybody for any reason for anything about that,” the sheriff said on the record, urging residents to verify any call that requests money, and to call the sheriff’s office to confirm the request. The sheriff said callers were sometimes using the names of actual deputies and asked that media amplify the warning so residents do not fall prey to the scam.

Why it matters: residents receiving unsolicited calls asking for money or donations should verify the caller’s identity with official county numbers; the sheriff’s office said no law-enforcement agency will call to ask for money.