The inmate population in the Geary County Detention Center reached 153 on Monday, October 31st – this isn’t the highest it’s been, but one can’t deny the trend of increased inmate populations and no sign of a lessening criminal element. 

Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf was a guest on the JC Now Morning Show on 1420 KJCK – The Talk of JC where he discussed the criminal activity in the county.

“It’s kind of a sign of the times, economy plays in to this [increased criminal activity]…the drug trade is probably the single most driving force behind the population in the jail,” said Wolf. “Most people they get arrested for some kind of a drug charge and then they end up on probation; well, through the course of their probation they may come to jail again two or three different times for violating the terms and conditions of their probation – it’s a revolving door down there.”

While the crime rate may be on the increase, Wolf said that the Deputies at the Sheriff’s Department are vigilant in nabbing criminals.

“My guys are aggressive when it comes to [that] hunting up warrants, looking for things out there – they are aggressive; but I mean, in a community of this size to have a population in the jail that big – my goodness,” said Wolf.

While drug use in the county is undoubtedly cause for concern in relation to the criminal element, there isn’t a pinpoint answer to the increased jail population.

“I wish I could say that there is some one thing that was driving this – I just don’t know,” said Wolf. “I know that when I took over, our [jail] numbers were in the 70s, 80s, 60s sometimes…but as time has went on, it has just steadily crept up and crept up.”

The “magic solution” ?

“I don’t know,” said Wolf.