Sheriff’s office reports stable year

COLUMBUS -- Slightly fewer inmates spent time behind bars at the Platte County Detention Facility, deputies spent more time serving civil papers and total fees collected topped $1 million for the third straight year.

Those facts were among the figures shared in the 2007 annual report of the Platte County Sheriff’s Department.

The report was submitted to the county board of supervisors this week.

The county jail recorded a slight dip in the number of inmates housed during 2007. The total declined by 15 from 3,672 in 2006 to 3,657 last year. The jail housed 3,323 inmates in 2005.

Most of the year-end figures in the annual report were mostly level, with the serving of civil process documents accounting for the sharpest increase, Platte County Sheriff Jon Zavadil said.

The jail housed 3,059 male inmates and 598 female inmates last year compared to 3,115 males inmates and 557 female inmates during 2006.

The county’s fees for housing out-of-county prisoners edged up from $1,010,365 in 2006 to $1,020,025 last year.

“Our daily inmate population at the jail is pretty evenly divided between local and out-of-county,’’ Zavadil said. The jail has a capacity of 135 inmates.

The county has interlocal agreements with about 20 counties to accept inmates from jurisdictions throughout eastern Nebraska. The outside counties include Antelope, Butler, Cedar, Colfax, Cuming, Dakota, Dodge, Douglas, Hall, Holt, Lancaster, Madison, Merrick, Nance, Pierce, Polk, Sarpy, Saunders, Seward and Stanton.

The county charges $50 per day, with a lower rate of $45 per day for counties under contract and any county that surpasses 150 billable inmate days during any month.

The revenue figures for the year are based on charges billed by the detention facility, while actual payments received by the county may lag as the bills are paid by outside jurisdictions.

The department’s total fee collections, which in addition to housing inmates includes charges for such things as title inspections, civil processes and drug/lab tests, climbed 7.4 percent last year. Fees totaled $1,211,499 last year, a rise from $1,122,608 for 2006.

The sharpest gain in 2007 figures was the rise in the amount of civil process paperwork served by sheriff’s deputies.

Deputies served 3,839 civil process papers last year, up 41 percent from the 2,270 papers served during 2006.

When the economy hits a speed bump, the slowdown typically results in deputies serving more civil litigation and other court papers, Zavadil said.

While the number of inmates housed during the year tumbled slightly, overall arrests posted a double-digit increase.

Overall arrests swelled from 1,251 during 2006 to 1,382 last year, an increase of 10.5 percent.

Meanwhile, driving while intoxicated arrests have been riding a rollercoaster for the past four years.

Deputies registered 82 DUI arrests in 2007, an 18.8 increase from 69 arrests during 2006. There were 50 DUI arrests in 2005 and 65 during 2004.

Law enforcement agencies are becoming “more aggressive” in combating drunken driving, Zavadil said. Last year’s spike in DUI arrests is a reflection of that get-tough approach that’s going on statewide, he said.

Burglary investigations took a 38 percent dive last year, falling to 42 from 68 during 2006. The department investigated 51 burglaries two years ago.

A factor in the higher burglary reports in 2006 was the number of crimes in which suspects broke into houses and stole copper wire and pipes, Zavadil said.