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Sheriff reports spike in domestic calls, 335 traffic stops and a Stone Garden grant application
Summary
The sheriff told commissioners that deputies logged 335 traffic stops in February and responded to a high number of domestic‑violence calls; the office has applied for Operation Stone Garden funding that would provide equipment and two mobile license‑plate readers.
The Grant County sheriff presented a monthly operations report on March 13 that showed an uptick in several call categories and an application for federal grant funds for border-area enforcement support.
The sheriff (name not specified in the record) told commissioners that deputies initiated 335 traffic stops in February and investigated 84 domestic‑violence calls during the month. He said the office responded to 49 traffic crashes (45 noninjury, three injury) and handled 75 suspicious-activity calls.
"We did investigate a total of 49 traffic crashes, 45 of which were non injury and 3 that were injury in the county," the sheriff said. He added that deputies performed 292 civil-service document serves and that court security screened 791 individuals entering the courthouse during the month.
The sheriff said the department has applied for fiscal‑year 2025 Operation Stone Garden funding and has requested $280,000, along with one fully equipped unit and two mobile license‑plate readers. He said the agency will learn about approval late in 2025.
Commissioners asked for more detail on the domestic‑violence figures. The sheriff said many of the cases involve repeat individuals and that domestics can tie up deputies because they sometimes require two or three officers and lengthy transport or processing.
A resident comment earlier in the meeting raised a traffic safety concern on Lance Drive in Silver Acres. David Barton told commissioners he has reported speeders to the sheriff’s office and said vehicles often travel "70 to 80 miles an hour" down a residential street. The sheriff acknowledged staffing constraints but urged residents to contact dispatch and said he and his undersheriff have an open‑door policy for community concerns.
On enforcement programs, the sheriff said Operation Stone Garden focuses on traffic enforcement and described limits on immigration enforcement by local law enforcement. "We are not ICE agents," he said, and he added that federal partners have agreed to notify local agencies if they operate in the county.
The sheriff's office described ongoing training for deputies and continued fugitive‑apprehension operations under a district‑attorney grant. Commissioners and staff did not take formal action on the report.
