DROUGHT CAUSES SPIKE IN LIVESTOCK OUT CALLS FOR WASHINGTON CO. SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Josh Blaschke Send an email August 18, 2022
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Washington County Sheriff Otto Hanak speaks to Washington County Commissioners during their meeting on May 31st. Hanak told the court on Tuesday that the sheriff's office responded to more than double the amount of livestock out calls in July than it did in June.

The grass may be greener on the other side for livestock in Washington County, but not for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Otto Hanak presented the office’s monthly report to county commissioners on Tuesday, showing that it responded to 136 calls in July of livestock getting out, more than double June’s total of 60 livestock out calls.  Animal calls, such as when a dog is running loose or when an opossum or snake is spotted, were also up last month at 41, compared to 27 the month prior.

Hanak said the ongoing drought is the main contributor to the uptick in livestock calls, but he is nonetheless frustrated at the amount of time deputies have to spend responding to them.

 

 

Hanak said the issue is made worse by continued difficulties in hiring new staff, leading to a lack of personnel to respond to the amount of calls coming in.

 

 

Hanak said being short on deputies is one of the reasons the sheriff’s office logged nearly 20,000 fewer miles driven last month than in the previous one, dropping to 67,149 miles in July from 86,243 in June.  Other factors were one vehicle not being used as a new deputy completes training, and the fact that many of the calls deputies responded to last month, including the livestock calls, took longer to resolve, so their vehicles were stopped for long periods of time.

Commissioner Candice Bullock told Hanak she wanted to meet with him later to further review the data presented in order to “paint a better picture.”

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Josh Blaschke Send an email August 18, 2022
10 769

10 Comments

  1. Thank God we have a Sheriff that has the experience he has. We keep spending money on the chopter and their department. Do we really need a pad a Lake Somerville? How about more money for our law enforcement. The pretty picture is we need changes in county government , not the Sheriff or his deputies.

  2. Evereyone is hurting now.The government is over spending and over taxing us like crazy.The Boarders are open to anyone.They come here with nothing and guess what they get all the benefit that the hard workings people get.They are all un educated so it put a strain on us.Small town get hammered because big government don’t care about us.The lift is truly crazy.

  3. If an animal is out, in the county right-of-way, then it is all of our duties as responsible members of the community to call the dispatch number for the county, 277-7373, and report it. The Sherriff’s Department then drives out and calls the land owners, or asks neighbors if they know whose livestock is out.
    It happens during normal rain seasons as well. I have called in 3 times this year alone.
    The Sherriff’s Department does a great job. They need more money, and should get more pay, regardless if you do not get a raise at your place of employment.

  4. I can’t believe we have to have the Hi Sheriff paint a picture for a County Commission about lack of rain and the effects. I picked up on it right away. Cause and effect pretty simple but what we need are more deputies and not more wasteful spending on Copter Commander. If anyone else feels the same sound off. Let them know we support our local and elected Sheriff. Thanks Otto for all you do for us.

  5. Why bother responding. They won’t do anything. Thought they were supposed to fine people. No they just let them tear up other people’s land.

    Funny this sheriff always has an excuse and it normally deals with lack of money. No cars because they are parked at house’s of deputies. Citizens haven’t gotten raises, expenses are up so we have to cut back. Not the County. They think we’re a bottomless pot of money. By the way, try to get the sheriff out in our part of the county.

    1. No, animal control is a city funded entity and responds to calls in the city. But even they have stopped responding to things like snakes and skunks.

  8. Can’t believe people are calling in about opposums and snakes… Must be people from a city who has never seen one

    1. LOL. Exactly. Who does that? I am sure you are much bigger than that opposum or snake. The
      deputies have more to worry about than that, like protecting you from bad people.

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