Members of the Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) program gathered on Thursday to listen as Carbon County Sheriff Jeff Wood spoke about the work of the sheriff’s office, including the war on drugs in the local area.
Wood spoke in depth about the current drug problem in Carbon County and what the sheriff’s office is doing to correct the issue. The sheriff estimated that nearly 85% of all crime within the county is related directly or indirectly to drugs.
““Our philosophy for this drug problem is aggressive enforcement,” Wood explained. “I would rather spin my wheels than sit stagnant.”
Sheriff Wood explained that the key to aggressive enforcement in the area will take the help of all law enforcement agencies in the county.
“We have to collaborate with every local agency to work as one unit instead of separately trying to reach the same goal,” the sheriff stated. “We feel confident that things in the future are going to go well with the war on drugs.”
Also at the meeting, Wood spoke about a grant the sheriff’s office applied for that would outfit deputies with body cameras.
“The cameras will help our deputies perform their daily duties without the fear of false accusations and will also hold all of us accountable for our actions,” Cletis Steele explained in the weekly Carbon County Sheriff’s Office update. “The grant that is being applied for will help get thirteen cameras this year and hopefully another thirteen in 2016.”
Wood also touched on the subject of deputies covering more areas within the county including schools, Scofield and ranches. Volunteer inmates will be spread throughout the county starting in July to complete community service. Wood plans for low-risk inmates without violent histories or sex offenses to be accompanied by deputies to contribute to the community. Crews plan to start in Wellington in early July.