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Sheriff: SWAT calls and youth‑home problems are straining county resources
Summary
Sheriff Carpenter reported increased SWAT callouts and continuing issues with youth group homes that are consuming deputy hours and budget; sheriff's office highlighted regional partnerships, new detection dogs and public warnings about impersonation fraud calls.
Sheriff Carpenter told the commission that while many crime categories are down this year, the county has seen an uptick in SWAT deployments and persistent problems tied to youth group homes.
"So far this year to date, we've had 7 callouts," the sheriff said, noting that last year had roughly two dozen for the full year. He outlined the role of regional information systems and task forces in investigations and noted the addition of a second certified explosive detection dog.
The sheriff also warned residents about fraudsters impersonating deputies and requesting payment by Amazon gift cards, saying, "We do not call people and ask for payment via Amazon gift cards. If anybody tries to tell you that, that is absolutely a fraud."
On youth group homes, the sheriff said the county remains frustrated by recurring problems: higher numbers of suicidality incidents and substantial staff time devoted to managing group‑home calls. He estimated the sheriff's office has spent about 118 hours this year addressing group‑home incidents, accounting for roughly $8,850 of sheriff's office costs so far.
Commissioners discussed local regulatory options including reviewing conditional use permits and potential legislative solutions; staff said they will coordinate with state and local partners to seek workable approaches for accountability and mitigation.
