Summer Means More Work ForJefferson County Sheriff’s Office

By Gordon HopkinsThe Law Enforcement Committee held its quarterly meeting on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, at the Fairbury City Offices, where Jefferson County Sheriff Nick Georgi provided an update to City Officials.The sheriff’s office currently provides law enforcement services for the City of Fairbury. Call VolumeSheriff Georgi noted that call volume to the sheriff’s office was up for the quarter but he also pointed out that is usually the case during the summer months, “We’re at 1,089 calls total. It was up quite a bit from last quarter of 780, but the summer is always busy time, so that’s expected.”There was a significant increase in traffic stops, which Georgi attributed to the sheriff’s office now being fully staffed, meaning more deputies on the streets, “Traffic stops went up a lot. We had 108 last quarter. This quarter, we had 344. Code EnforcementOf particular note was the hiring of a new, part time Code Enforcement Officer to supplement the existing Enforcement Officer, Daniel Lufkin.The new officer is Don Fritch. Sheriff Georgi noted Fritch has a significant law enforcement history and was recently retired from the Nebraska State Patrol.City code violations included such things as the Owner Occupancy Program (rental inspections), nuisances (junked or abandoned and unlicensed vehicles, junk properties, mowing), and animal control issues (loose and unlicensed dogs, and multiple dogs).While code violations are the responsibility of the city, the sheriff’s office often finds itself receiving calls about such violations, especially after regular working hours. It is hoped the new officer, who will be focusing on those after hours calls, will free up deputies for law enforcement.Earlier this year, Jefferson County signed an interlocal agreement with Fairbury to prosecute code violations. County Attorney Joseph Casson will be prosecuting those violations. K9The Sheriff told the committee, “Since our last meeting our K9 is fully certified now.”A K9 is a dog trained to assist law enforcement officers. Their duties may include searching for drugs and explosives, locating missing people, finding crime scene evidence, protecting officers and other people and chasing suspects who flee from officers.National Night OutNational Night Out was held August 1. It is an annual, nationwide community-building campaign that involves first responders, including law enforcement, ambulance, fire departments and others, intended to promote police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.The sheriff said that, while attendance was not as high as last year, he reported there were still over 100 kids.An especially popular attraction was the StarCare helicopter, which is not always available due to emergency medical calls. WebsiteJefferson County has overhauled its website. While upgrades to the website for the sheriff’s office are still in the works, one of the charges will be the addition of a “Contact Us” form to allow people to reach law enforcement online with non-emergency issues.The sheriff’s office has been frustrated with people posting alleged crimes on social media but not reporting them to law enforcement.The next meeting of the Law Enforcement Committee is Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at 6:30 p.m.

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