Methamphetamine is the drug attracting the most lakes area users, while heroin continues to become more prominent, said Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl.
Dahl offered his assessment on the county's drug use as part of an overview of his office's operations, presented Tuesday to the county board.
Commissioner Paul Thiede asked whether a previous initiative to reduce the presence of methamphetamine had any impact.
"I can tell you that it's (meth use) higher than I've ever seen in my 30 years," Dahl said. "Once we get a handle on it, it seems like there's always more coming in."
County Administrator Tim Houle said it was accurate to say those efforts curtailed the manufacturing of the illegal drug in the area-but use was a different story.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I don't know that it has necessarily impacted the use rate," Houle said. "It seems as though we're just importing more."
Dahl said heroin's less expensive street value means use is increasing, and the Lakes Area Drug Investigation Division is in the midst of investigating two overdose deaths in conjunction with the Brainerd Police Department.
Efforts to enforce drug laws are just one of the many responsibilities of the sheriff's office, which is experiencing its typical uptick in activity that comes along with the summer tourism season.
"In our area, we always talk about the fluctuation of people," Dahl said. "We're in full mode right now, certainly with our summer season."
Between January and May, Dahl reported the patrol division was busier than he ever envisioned 30 years earlier when his career began. The most frequent call by far is a traffic stop, with the sheriff's office conducting 1,877 stops in the first five months of 2017. Suspicious activity calls were the next most frequent, with 269 calls, followed by driving complaints at 158.
The support division also sees a high workload, Dahl said, noting gun permits and civil process actions keep staff busy. In 2017 thus far, the sheriff's office has processed 915 gun permits and 2,324 civil papers. Dahl noted mortgage foreclosures are down significantly compared to the same period last year-120 to 97.
"Gun permits are not going to go down," Dahl said. "They are going to continue to rise."
The daily population of the Crow Wing County Jail grew in 2016 and into this year, following an agreement with the Minnesota Department of Corrections to house additional state prisoners. The current average daily population of the jail is more than 235 inmates, Dahl said. This agreement with the state contributed to the more than $2.2 million in revenues collected through the jail, he added.
ADVERTISEMENT
Changes to the organizational structure and continual improvements to the sheriff's office, along with a dispatch center fully staffed for the first time in two years, means the office is prepared for an influx of activity, Dahl said. New to the staff is a forensic investigator, assisting on computer crimes and working jointly with the drug investigation division. Another change on the horizon is a remodel of the law enforcement center, which will convert a portion of the building once used as the jail to the new communications dispatch center.
Dahl lauded the efforts of his staff in all divisions and became emotional while describing his pride as sheriff.
"I'm so proud of this staff," Dahl said. "The people that represent all of us, the people that represent the badge that we wear-I get emotional thinking about it. ... I couldn't be any more proud to represent all of them."
Commissioners agreed with Dahl and noted the pride they felt themselves for the work of the sheriff's office.
"I think we've had our tough times, but I think we're getting along great and I think you guys do an excellent job," Commissioner Paul Koering said.
Chairman Doug Houge pointed to awards presented earlier in the evening recognizing rescue efforts, along with the office's work on locating and recovering the body of a missing angler over the previous weekend. He said these occurrences were representative of the hard work of the employees.
"It's great to know we have that kind of staff in Crow Wing County," Houge said.
