By HOLLY GASKILL
As K-9 Leo nears retirement age, Sheriff Scott Holliday said the department is looking to buy and train another police dog.
Holliday said they had hoped to begin training last fall, but the Fort Wayne Police Department canceled the program. As long as it is available this spring, Holliday said they will find a dog and participate in the program.
Leo has served Wells County for nearly seven years, which puts him near the average retirement age for police dogs. Holliday said the department will make use of both dogs while they are able.
Holliday noted K-9 Leo has been valuable both to their service and as a friendly connection to the public.
In other updates from the department, Holliday presented the county council with side-by-side activity data from 2021 and 2022. Now that the department is fully-staffed, more deputies have been on the road — leading to an increase in 19,963 miles driven and over 500 more traffic stops than in 2021.
However, this is largely expanding their presence in the county. Traffic tickets issued have only increased by 19 comparatively.
The jail also booked 1041 inmates in 2022, up by 135. The average jail population also rose from 73.46 to 85.67.
Additionally, the number of dispatch calls with no report grew from 6,870 to 7,566. Looking toward the dispatch partnership with the city of Bluffton, Holliday said it has been helpful in regards to their operations.
The first 911 Advisory Board is expected to have its first public meeting shortly.
“It’s been a great asset to the community to have our dispatch combined with the 911 center instead of duplicating things and transferring calls between agencies and those types of things,” Holliday said.
Lastly, Holliday said jail construction is still on track to finish by the end of the month, excluding order delays with doors for the kitchen.
As of Tuesday, Holliday reported 71 inmates were housed in the jail. Of those inmates, 26 are pre-trial holds for Wells County Circuit Court, 24 are pre-trial holds for Superior Court and 15 are Level 6 felons. Holliday noted there were zero inmates from the Department of Corrections because many of the inmates’ families had posted bail before the holidays.
holly@news-banner.com
