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Sheriff presents 2026 budget; highlights retention, technology and human‑trafficking work
Summary
Sheriff Dan Starry briefed commissioners on the Sheriff's Office 2026 budget proposal, seeking to maintain current staffing (286.5 FTE) while emphasizing recruitment and retention, investments in technology and continued focus on human‑trafficking and drug‑task‑force efforts.
Washington County Sheriff Dan Starry presented the sheriff’s office 2026 proposed budget during a televised workshop on Aug. 26 and highlighted three primary needs: workforce retention and recruitment, continued investment in technology and equipment, and continued work on human‑trafficking and drug enforcement efforts.
Starry said the sheriff’s office does not seek new positions for 2026 and will continue to operate with about 286.5 full‑time employees. He told the board that retention remains a major statewide challenge — more than 120 Minnesota law‑enforcement agencies were actively recruiting in August — and he thanked county administration and the board for recent actions to address compensation and workplace conditions.
Starry reviewed service volumes and operations: deputies responded to nearly 73,000 calls for service in 2024, including about 16,000 traffic stops, more than 1,200 arrests and roughly 1,200 crash investigations. The jail processed about 3,800 adults and 129 juveniles in 2024 with a daily average population near 138. The sheriff noted public‑safety telecommunicators handled more than 180,000 phone calls in 2024, of which about 76,000 were 9‑1‑1 calls.
Starry outlined technology and equipment items — body‑worn cameras, squad computers, watercraft and public‑safety radio system maintenance — and said some 2025 federally funded capital projects (including two riverboats) reduced the 2026 capital request.
He also described specialized initiatives: the county’s community impact unit (a sergeant and three deputies) focused on traffic safety and improving quality of life since January 2025 and has issued more than 100 distracted‑driving citations, more than 200 speeding citations (one at 105 mph), 27 DWI arrests and dozens of warrant arrests. Starry thanked regional partners and noted a recent 50% reduction in the state grant that funded the East Metro human‑trafficking unit; he pledged to return to the board for additional resources if grant funding is further reduced.
Commissioners asked questions about radio system sites and jail health services and praised deputies for community engagement. Starry said the sheriff’s office values partnerships with public health, community corrections, public works and the county attorney’s office in delivering services.
There was no board action requested at the workshop; the sheriff’s budget will be part of the fall budget review process.
