Sheriff reports steady presence across rural Linn County; AMR and fire departments give monthly call statistics

Sheriff James Akes told the Linn County Commission during public comment on May 27 that the sheriff’s office has maintained a visible patrol presence across rural communities and offered summary call statistics to address resident concerns about drugs and danger in small communities.

Akes said the sheriff’s office had 7,973 calls for service year-to-date, 1,696 community patrol calls, 645 area checks and 80 building checks; he told the commission those patrols are random in timing and that deputies operate at hours residents may not observe. He asked residents with criminal activity reports to contact the sheriff’s office directly.

Emergency Medical Services (AMR) and rural fire reports followed: AMR provided district-by-district call and transport totals, and reported average response times in several districts; the AMR summary included township breakdowns with transports and response times. Linn County Rural Fire and Emergency Management reported recent calls and submitted a draft budget increase (approximately 6%) tied partly to rising insurance costs; the fire department also requested brief executive-session time earlier in the meeting for personnel and hiring discussions.

The updates were informational; no formal action was taken on the reports.