Grundy County Sheriff’s updates continued:
2019 Accomplishments
Patrol Division
The patrol division, of the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office, led by Chief Deputy John Nicholson, provides law enforcement services to all unincorporated Grundy County, as well as the villages of Diamond, South Wilmington, Braceville, East Brooklyn, Mazon, Verona, Kinsman, Gardner, and to the village of Mazon (on a part time basis).
In 2019, the patrol shifts were restructured in an effort to provide better service and coverage for the citizens of Grundy County. Standard shifts begin at 7am and 7pm with two floating shifts beginning at 10am and 3pm. These shifts are designed to absorb the situation of a deputy attending court, training, or other situations that may remove him temporarily from patrol during the day.
Calls for Service 2yr Comparison:
Calls for service are up 3%. In 2019, the patrol division responded to 8488 non- officer initiated calls for service. This is a slight increase over calls for service in 2018 which was 8239.
Traffic Stops / Traffic Citation 2yr Comparison:
Traffic Stops are up 37% over 2018. Traffic citations are up 15% from the previous year.
2018 Traffic Stops- 5530 2018 Traffic Citations issued- 3307
2019 Traffic Stops- 6499 2019 Traffic Citations issued- 3828
Impaired Driving Arrest 2yr Comparison:
Impaired driving arrests are up 40% and drug arrests are up 42% over the previous year.
2018- 94 Impaired Driving Arrests 2019- 134 Impaired Driving Arrests
2018- 47 Drug arrests 2019- 80 Drug Arrests
Officer Initiated Arrests 2yr Comparison:
2018- 394 Adult Arrests, 7 Juvenile Arrests
2019- 522 Adult Arrests, 6 Juvenile Arrests
20% INCREASE IN ARRESTS OVER 2018
Investigations Division
The Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division is made up of three Detectives. The investigations division followed up on 114 cases in 2019 versus 263 cases in 2018. These cases include Robbery, Burglaries, Sexual Assaults and Thefts.
The re-organization of the investigation division has changed how cases are handled and assigned. Patrol Deputies are now completing and obtaining more follow-up case information. By allowing Deputies more involvement in cases; it allows them to learn and gain investigatory experience. This in turn has allowed our investigators to devote more time to complex and in-depth investigations.
Grundy County had its first Homicide in years. We are happy to announce as of Tuesday, February 4, 2020, an arrest has been made and suspect is in custody awaiting trail. The Sheriff’s Department activated the Will Grundy Major Crime Task Force (WGMCTF) to assist in the case. The WGMCTF was established to assist its member agencies with major cases. It can bring resources such as manpower, Crime Scene Investigators and equipment to assist in those types of cases. The Sheriff’s Department has three detectives and a member of the command staff assigned to the WGMCTF.
Investigators are currently working a complex Child Pornography case that has extended to multiple jurisdictions in Illinois and Missouri.
Corrections/ Grundy County Jail
The Grundy County Jail is a 65 bed facility. The jail is currently staffed by 11 full time correctional officers, 1 correctional sergeant, and one part time correctional officer. The average daily jail population in 2019 was 32 inmates (30 male/ 4 female). Average daily jail population has been consistent over the last two years.
Jail improvements:
· New refrigerator for the jail kitchen
· Introduced new food service provider- Abe’s Catering Service
· WRAP restraint system
The WRAP is a safe restraint system, designed to protect subjects, officers, and staff by reducing the possibility of injury and death.
Jail Bookings 2yr Comparison
Jail Bookings:
2018- 1083
2019-1224
In 2019, 136 inmate transports were conducted by correctional staff, meaning inmates were moved from the Grundy County Jail to another facility. This was completed by restructuring the shifts of the correctional officers to create a transport team. Overtime as it related to jail transports was significantly decreased due to the restructuring and creation of a transport team.
On site, and Online training; including courses through the Illinois Executive Police Training Institute, and Webinars have been regularly incorporated into the training of the corrections staff. In 2019, every correctional officer received the following training:
· Mental health awareness
· Firearms
· CPR/AED/Bloodborne Pathogens
· Excited Delirium
· Self-Injurious Behavior in Jails-Management of an at Risk Population
· Illness Reports and Medication Pass for Correctional Staff
· Introduction to Correctional Healthcare
· Inmate Suicide and Mental Health
· Lexipol Resisting the Inmate Manipulation