Fully Staffed SoHum Sheriff’s Department Able to Be More Proactive

Because the Southern Humboldt area is fully staffed now, Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies are able to walk the streets of Garberville as well as Redway and check on local businesses at night even those in small outlying towns like Myers Flat and Miranda, Sgt. Jesse Taylor told us.

“Thanks in large part to Measure Z funding, we are now able to provide round-the-clock law enforcement services for Southern Humboldt communities,” he explained. “We are staffing the substation nearly 24 hours a day which will provide significantly improved response times.  I say nearly because there are commutes that some of us make, but thanks in large part to overlapping shifts, our coverage is much better than before.”

Sergeant Taylor and 11 Deputy Sheriffs man the Southern Humboldt area now. Because staffing levels are up, Taylor explained that his officers have time to be proactive. “This staffing will allow us to police the community more aggressively and I think the public will notice a more proactive Sheriff’s Office,” he said. “We’re out of the car and checking on things.”

He named two of the ways the deputies are being proactive. “We are now providing routine foot patrols and night time business checks on a daily/nightly basis,” Taylor said.  “The idea is to let the criminal element know that we are out there at weird hours…Hopefully, doing some [crime] suppression that way,” he explained.

Sheriff's office patrol checkOfficers working at night are getting out of their vehicles and checking for problems at local businesses.  “We usually do a walk around, check doors and windows, shine flashlights, etc. and make sure the business is secure.,” Taylor explained.

Then, “deputies are leaving “Patrol Check” cards [for an example, see photo to the right] at various businesses that show the owners that we checked up on things,” explained Taylor.The deputies make notes on the cards of what they have observed.

The deputies aren’t just in Garberville and Redway. “We’re at little markets and stores in the outlying areas,” Taylor said.

Results are starting to show already, according to Taylor.

Michael Lee Russel

Michael Lee Russell, arrested on the 17th, has been suspected of multiple incidents including meth possession, fleeing from officers and resisting arrest, and more.

“In fact, our night shift just nabbed a wanted felon,Michael Lee Russell, at the Johnston Motel in Garberville [Tuesday] morning at 2:10 a.m.” Now that his officers are able to staff SoHum even during the early morning hours, Taylor believes that they will be able to catch more criminals.

 

He also said that deputies will be covering the outlying areas much more frequently. He specifically named Shelter Cove noting, “Due to increased staffing, we’re going to send a couple of deputies out during the night.  [Residents there] can expect to see a marked patrol car not every night but more often.”

 

Taylor is upbeat about current conditions for the county as a whole and about the future, too. “Staffing is as good as I have ever seen it,” he said. “[And,] we’ve got eight more cadets in the academy–come June that will be eight more deputy sheriffs.”

 

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23 Comments
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G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
7 years ago

Good!!maybe now some of this crime wave were having will be down a little bit!

Guest
Guest
Guest
7 years ago

Awesome! tho they could probably just put one officer at each motel in sohum for a week and catch 95% of the problem people, take a week off come back and catch the other 5% after the first ones start flapping. Little fish lead to big fish. Good job tho been along time comin

Shake Well
Guest
Shake Well
7 years ago
Reply to  Guest

That might actually be a great idea. Some of the motel owners might object to the scaring off of their customers, however.

Guest
Guest
Guest
7 years ago
Reply to  Shake Well

It’s a great idea to start with unfortunately common sense is an illusive critter around these parts

Veterans friend
Guest
Veterans friend
7 years ago

Does “proactive” mean they will be arresting people before they commit crimes?

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
7 years ago

Lucky for you, NO!!!!

Good one
Guest
Good one
7 years ago
Reply to  Dan Fuller

Haha. Burn!

Hammertime
Guest
Hammertime
7 years ago

I hope the Sheriff’s personnel can go after the head of the snake, instead of chasing the tail, when it comes to stopping the meth epidemic. Maybe there will be enough money again to go after the meth labs. It will take proper training and equipment. The money is available to hire new deputies, but is there funding available for busting, processing, and cleaning up these labs?

I think you might see a rather large drop in local crimes if this were able to be put back into action.
Not to mention stopping the environmental contamination, health issues, and general destruction this drug causes when being produced or used.

Mike
Guest
7 years ago
Reply to  Hammertime

It won’t matter, the sheriff deputies can nab them but they will still be booked and released and get probation if they ever end up in court.

THC
Guest
THC
7 years ago
Reply to  Hammertime

Hammertime, unfortunately our local sheriff’s department doesn’t have jurisdiction in Mexico.

Hammertime
Guest
Hammertime
7 years ago
Reply to  THC

THC,

I’m not talking about the meth that comes in from Mexico, China, or somewhere overseas. I’m talking about the meth that is manufactured here in Humboldt county.
This is not information I’ve collected from the internet.

Hiding your head in the sand and pretending this isn’t a major problem here, won’t make it end or go away. While you are looking up meth articles on the net, look up the ones that state we are now looking the other way and ignoring these labs. We don’t have the funds to bust them and clean them up. Unfortunately the environment, people, and animals near these labs are the victims of collateral damage. This lack of funding has been going on for 4 or 5 years. This money problem is nationwide. Checkout what has happened to the war on drugs after 2012. These are some trying times we are living in!

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
7 years ago

Is this something along the line of “They Only Come Out At Night”???

Visitor
Guest
Visitor
7 years ago
Reply to  Dan Fuller

Nowadays the Zombies are out 24/7 with their cheap sunglasses and sticky fingers!

guest
Guest
guest
7 years ago

How many businesses have gotten these check’s? I live in so hum and I rarely see the officer’s out of there car’s.

Tara j
Guest
Tara j
7 years ago

Has there been any update to the ford insurance scamer ? Seems like a story that needs updated… lots of people had lots to say on the subject!

Hammertime
Guest
Hammertime
7 years ago
Reply to  THC

THC,

If you choose to believe that ALL of the meth is coming from Mexico, do you also believe that all of the marijuana here in Humboldt comes from Morocco? After all they grow more Cannabis then any other country!

John
Guest
John
7 years ago

Are they instantly deputies because they worked in the jail or are are they the best cadet you could find.

John
Guest
John
7 years ago

Learn how to shoot your guns here cadets because that’s a skill you’re gonna need to know unless Mills is still chief. If mills is still cheif. you can shoot where ever you want.

Guest
Guest
Guest
7 years ago
Reply to  John

Umm that’s Epd [edit] not sheriff, but ya trigger control and target acquisition should be no 1 or atleast 2

John
Guest
John
7 years ago

Sorry guest just follow it closely enough to know that both departments are equally dangerous

Food for thought
Guest
Food for thought
7 years ago

Didn’t measure z pass a loooooong time ago ?

Miss Purty
Guest
Miss Purty
7 years ago

Bahahahahahahaha… Couldnt have happened to a nicer guy!
Cheers! Hip hip hooray!