San Juan County sheriff reports rising calls in Bluff; plans school outreach and traffic enforcement

Sheriff Lehi Lacy told the Bluff Town Council on March 10 that Bluff recorded 81 total calls in 2025 and countywide citations were about 2,400 last year, and that call volume in the area is rising roughly 10% year over year. Lacy said most Bluff calls were for suspicious incidents, animal problems and welfare checks and that the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office will continue sharing anonymized data with local leaders.

Lacy described planned outreach at Bluff Elementary, including sheriff visits during lunch, training sessions and a Physical Fitness Day planned for April or May with a 1.5‑mile run and other challenges. He said deputies have been active on school safety and social media to communicate traffic and safety changes. Mayor Josh Ewing raised traffic enforcement steps tied to a lowered speed limit on Highway 191 and a Jake Brake restriction; the sheriff’s office suggested temporary flashing signage and reprogramming the two speed‑detector devices at town entry points to support enforcement.

The sheriff’s report supplied the council with a short-term baseline for public safety planning: January–March 2025 saw four calls in Bluff while January–March 2026 recorded 13 calls. Lacy said future briefings will include geo‑mapped citations but will exclude personal information. No formal action or vote was taken; the council discussed sharing sheriff posts via town channels and coordinating signage requests with UDOT where applicable.

The council did not adopt new enforcement ordinances during the session; Ewing and sheriff’s staff discussed community outreach steps to coincide with school events and seasonal traffic increases. The council noted the information would inform the FY2026 budget discussion and any grant or capital requests for traffic signage and public safety equipment.