Keeping Kendall County Safe
Keeping Kendall County Safe
"Is there crime in Kendall County?" This is a question the Sheriff's Office is asked frequently, and one that is always a surprise when posed. Of course, the answer is "certainly Kendall County has our share of crime." All one needs to do is look at the overcrowded conditions at the County Jail and the Court's backlog to understand there is crime in Kendall County.
In many ways, Kendall County is not different than other similarly situated counties across Texas and the rest of the U.S. On average, the most common offenses encountered within the county are drug, theft, and DWI-related. However, the county also has its fair share of sex offenses and crimes against children, all levels of assault, and on a rare occasion, more violent crimes such as sexual assault and murder.
Recently, with the crisis compounding at our southern border and through the good work of our deputies and use of the newly formed K-9 unit, we have discovered an increase in drug and human trafficking cases coming through the area. In most instances, those cases are outside our jurisdiction; but the citizens of Kendall County can rest assured that we work with the County District Attorney's (CDA's) Office and our federal law enforcement counterparts whenever possible to do whatever possible to hold these individuals accountable and deter their travel through our county.
The singular difference when comparing the arrest of offenders in Kendall County to other counties across the nation is the outstanding level of support our law enforcement receives from its citizens and elected officials. In other words, we are very fortunate to have the backing and confidence of the communities we serve and the tools and training necessary to do our jobs with the highest level of professionalism and integrity.
Our success in keeping crime in check is three-fold. It is a credit first to the skilled work of our deputies, criminal investigators, and command staff here at the Sheriff's Office who ensure offenders are arrested; second, to our great working relationship with officials at the CDA's Office to ensure offenders are brought to prosecution; and lastly, to the Courts, as we work together to ensure those arrested and prosecuted are aptly held accountable for the offenses they commit against the businesses and citizens of Kendall County.
Regardless of where the offender resides inside or out of the county, if the offense is committed in Kendall County, we have a responsibility to detain them whether we have the space available in the jail or whether we find a bed for at another facility and pay the associated costs. It may surprise the readers that, at times, 70 percent or more of the offenders held at the County Jail are from outside the county; and for this budget year the county will spend over one-half a million dollars to house inmates in other facilities. Our proximity to the larger cities such as San Antonio and Austin contributes to those numbers and many criminals are caught passing through or come to Kendall County to commit their crimes.
One may ask why we would expend the funds to house offenders from other counties, our answer, because if you break the law in Kendall County, you will be held accountable regardless of where you live. We hope that will be a deterrent to others in the future. We are currently in the process of working forward to an expansion of the current county jail facilities to alleviate the level of overcrowding and lessen the costs associated with housing offenders outside the county. This is a work in progress as we seek and evaluate appropriate avenues for funding, not just a Band-Aid solution but also one that will take us where we need to be as the county continues to grow. Stay tuned, as we will cover the jail and the impacts of overcrowding to the county in future editions.
In conclusion, we have all witnessed the effects in other areas of the country where there is no accountability for crimes committed and no support for law enforcement. That cannot and will never be Kendall County, as we are a county of citizens that believe in enforcing law and order. Kendall County remains a very safe place to live. We do not experience the same level of crime that other communities face and are fortunate to live in such a place. Yet, we cannot become complacent. There will always be crime - our job is to fight it at all costs.
We are grateful for the support we receive from the citizens of Kendall County and are proud to serve and protect the phenomenal communities that make up Kendall County, Texas!