MONROE — Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud presented the department’s 2018 annual report to the county board of supervisors last week, which showed a 41% decrease in burglaries over the year.

Skatrud said such decreases have to be measured over time to be considered trends, yet since 2015, burglaries in Green County have decreased from 95 to 27 in 2018. There has been a decrease in the number of burglaries each year during that span.

Skatrud’s report to the board was given on Tuesday, Sept. 10, which was the same meeting Green County Emergency Management Department Director Tanna McKeon presented that department’s report. Although both departments deal with some of the most difficult government services provided by the county, there were positive notes along side some of the hard numbers.

Skatrud’s report included information not just on the sheriff’s department, but also operation of Green County’s jail, which has an average inmate population of 43 people per day.

“The jail population is a younger population, but it is full of people who haven’t taken care of themselves a day in their lives,” Skatrud said. This ends up being a strain on the medical services offered by the jail because inmates “take advantage of their time in jail for medical care.”

Overall, the sheriff’s department handled 14,119 incidents in 2018, compared to 11,753 incidents in 2017. Department personnel drove 561,295 miles during the course of their duties in 2018.

Deputies responded to 672 traffic crashes, including three fatalities, 226 injuries and 534 instances of property damage. There were also 308 vehicle vs. deer collisions in 2018.

With the exception of the noted drop in burglaries, reports of other crime remained steady to numbers reported in past years including 19 aggravated assaults, 67 simple assaults, 242 thefts, 14 motor vehicle thefts, 58 operating under the influence arrests, 89 criminal damage complaints, 213 disorderly conduct citations, 57 harassment cases and 128 civil dispute investigations.

Skatrud reported that Green County K-9 officer “Ike,” who joined the department in 2012, is set to retire this year. Ike is handled by Deputy Cody Kanable and will retire to his handler’s home, Skatrud said.

McKeon reported that although the emergency management department had a good year for obtaining grants — approximately $71,000 total — 2018 was a difficult year for flooding.

“During the flooding we had several people who needed water rescue because they drove through barricades,” McKeon said.

Brodhead was the location that emergency management and other agencies used as a staging area for flood rescues during 2018, McKeon said.

Flooding caused $217,000 in road damage in Green County.

In 2018, there were a total of 17 emergency response functions in Green County. McKeon added that there were 13 hazardous material spills during the year.

McKeon reported on a successful disaster preparation event in Brodhead in 2018 – an active shooter simulation. These preparation events bring several departments together and take a great deal of preparation, McKeon said. They are valuable to keep the county ready for any number of disasters.

 “The world of emergency management is always changing,” McKeon said. “It’s been a busy year.”