With each passing year, the caseload handled by Texas County Sheriff’s Department officers increases.
According to Sheriff James Sigman, the load went way up in 2015, as deputies responded to 3,106 calls resulting in written reports, compared to 2,737 in 2014.
That an increase of 369 written reports in a single year. And the same number of officers – 10 – handled the load as in the previous year.
“Unfortunately, it was a very busy year for us,” Sigman said. JAMES SIGMAN
The written reports represent only a portion of the total calls received by the TCSD, which Sigman said would top the 5,000 mark.
“People often call in wanting to speak to me or a deputy and we get it handled over the phone,” Sigman said, “or we might even go to a location and talk to someone and it doesn’t require a report. With the manpower we have, it seems like we’re constantly running.
“It’s hard to keep up sometimes.”
Sigman said he’s well pleased with his officers’ performance in the face of such a daunting task.
“Considering the load, they have done amazingly well,” he said. “They endured a lot last year, and I think they did a fantastic job. I know I need more manpower, but I’m happy with what they’re accomplishing.”
Increasing the manpower level is a possibility in 2016, Sigman said, with the addition of a detective position.
“I’m confident it’s going to go through,” he said. “That will help tremendously on the follow-ups we need to do. We’re so busy right now that sometimes it takes us days to pay attention to the follow-ups we need to be doing right away.
“But we’re running from call to call, and we’re not always able to do that.”
And covering Missouri’s largest county from a geographical standpoint makes the job even harder.
“There are certainly those days when you hit all four corners,” Sigman said. “That’s a lot of miles in a day’s time, and even if you only handle three or four calls, you may be out all day because of all your drive time.”
As has been the case for several years running, assaults and thefts led the way among case types.
“But even though we had a lot of thefts, it seemed like stealing metal was down,” Sigman said. “But I think the price of metal has dropped off, so that kind of explains that.”
Sigman said he’s hoping to upgrade the department’s fleet for the first time since 2013.
“There are a few aging patrol vehicles that are in dire need of being replaced,” he said. “We’re working on getting at least three of them replaced this year.”
Last year’s upgrade to MOSWIN digital communication radios went well, Sigman said, and will be bolstered this year when other departments around the county make the same move.
“We had a little trouble at times communicating with other departments,” he said, “but most of them are MOSWIN capable now, and by March we should be able to communicate with all agencies in the county.
“But for the most part, it’s working well for us, and it sure improves the coverage.”
The Texas County Jail is running smoothly, Sigman said, and the changeover of the jail medical plan last June is paying big dividends.
“I’m hoping this year to keep expenses at about $75,000,” he said, “and for the past three or four years it’s been at $100,000 or above. That’s enough savings to pay for a vehicle or personnel.”
Sigman’s first term expires at the end of the year, and he is seeking a second term.
“I appreciate the support we get from the citizens of Texas County,” Sigman said. “As I’ve said before, we’ll never be perfect and we can’t solve every crime, but we do the best we can with what we have. If we can get a little more manpower, maybe we can do a little better.
“I absolutely love what I do as sheriff of Texas County, and I love the staff I have. They love their jobs, too.”
The sheriff department’s phone number is 417-967-4165.
“With the manpower we have, it seems like we’re constantly running. It’s hard to keep up sometimes.”
– TEXAS COUNTY SHERIFF JAMES SIGMAN
Sheriff: James Sigman
Lieutenant: Wes Campbell
Sergeant: Travis Davis
Corporals: Mike Huffman, Kenny Reynolds
Deputies: Rowdy Douglas, Bobby Duncan, Melissa Emerick, Reuben Salazar, Dameon Shaw
Court deputies: Eric Brown, Danny Fox, Shane Jones, Jacob Shannon
Office administrator: Heather Walker
Jail administrator: Pam Tripp
Corrections officers: Nathan Alkire, Robert Atwood, Luritta Baker, Glenda Campbell, Allan Castleman, Michael Duncan, Mark Etchason, Van Fiegenshue, Bill Gibson, Adam Hogan, David Jones, Dakota Sloan, Tammy Peterson, Mandy Polletta, Josh Sutphin, Jami Teem,
Dispatch supervisor: Susan Hale
Dispatchers: Chris Maddox, Penny Rader, Cheryl Reeder, Tina Salazar
Cooks: Jessica Campbell, Joanna Combs