Everyone at the Sheriff's Office wants this to be a safe and healthy school year for all of our students. We take threats to the students and School Administration serious and will investigate complaints as they come in. People in the Castle School District need to be aware that there will be heavy traffic congestion, and they need to drive appropriately. Please allow yourself extra time in the mornings if you are taking your child to school. If you want to do your part to alleviate traffic congestion in this area, please let your child ride the school bus in the morning and in the evening if they don't have events that they have to attend after the school day is over. We all pay taxes to run those buses so you may as well use them. The School Resource Officers will be in the schools daily, and your child can reach out to them with information or problems that are occuring in their lives.

Please pay attention to your child when they are trying to have a conversation with you. They may have important information to pass along to you if they feel that you are interested and listening to them.

Make sure that you talk to your child about alcohol and drugs. Give them something to do that occupies their time. A child with a lot of idle time is more likely to get into trouble than someone that is busy.

Many new cellphones have the capability to restrict usage when you are driving. The only number they can call is 911. Distractions are the biggest cause of traffic crashes, take as many distractions away from your young drivers as you can.

Have a safe and happy school year.

Traffic Safety: Many people report traffic problems in certain areas, those complaints are received and passed on to the motor patrol officers. We attempt to cover as many of the areas as possible, however it is impossible to keep officers at these locations on a permanent basis because of emergency calls that come in to dispatch. All of us need to slow down, concentrate on our driving, and try to keep distractions out of our lives when we are operating a motor vehicle. Traveling a short distance such as Newburgh to Evansville, you do not gain much time by speeding or rolling through a Stop Sign. In fact if you are stopped by the police you will lose five minutes of the time that you were attempting to gain. It is a lot safer to get organized and leave five minutes earlier than to attempt to make up for lost time in transit. Every crash occurs because someone operating a motor vehicle was not paying attention and following the rules. Everyone please slow down and drive carefully. Your family is depending on you to get where you are going.

Indiana's Senate Bill 1

There has been a lot of publicity about the new law concerning citizens protecting themselves and their property. Basically the law states that a person has a right to protect themselves in their residence from physical harm, and they do not have to retreat.

Fortunately in Warrick County most of the citizens respect Law Enforcement Officers, and the Law Enforcement Officers respect the citizens Constitutional Rights.

That being said, the law has not changed when it comes to Resisting Law Enforcement. Every citizen should educate themselves concerning the law, as ignorance of the law is no excuse. The Criminal Laws of the State of Indiana can be found by visiting the Secretary of States website or by visiting the State of Indiana website IN.GOV.  

Telephone scams

The telephone scam artists have risen to a new level. Now they have gotten the police involved by telling you that they will call the police if you don't send them the money. They then call the police and have them come by to check on your welfare, or call in a bogus complaint and get the police to come by and investigate. This is all part of their game. If the police show up at your residence unexpected, and you have received telephone calls from someone in the past couple of days wanting you to wire them money, don't be afraid to tell the police about the scam.

Most of the time the people running the scam will request that you wire them money to a foreign country. The will use the story that you have won an international lottery, and that the money goes to pay the taxes. They will also say that a relative has been arrested or been involved in a traffic accident and that you need to wire money to pay legal bills or bail.

Remember, once you wire money it is gone, there will be no refund. Most of these scams are run from a foreign country and the money cannot be traced.

Communicate with your children

Your kids need your guidance every day. Take an active role in their lives and listen to what they have to say. Remind them that the choices that they make today will affect the rest of their lives. Share with them your life experiences and tell them what you learned from your mistakes. Kids today are faced with a lot more challenges than you were at their age. Try to understand their problems and help them deal with their issues. If we can educate the younger generation, maybe we can eliminate the demand for illegal drugs in the future. Without the demand, the supply will take care of itself. If we don't have a drug problem there will be a lot less crime to deal with also.

Meth Lab Activity

Meth Labs continue to be one of the biggest challenges that the law enforcement community faces. There are new methods being used all of the time to manufacture methamphetamine. What used to take several hours has been cut down to a process that only takes an hour. These new one-pot methods are very volatile, and are causing problems within the neighborhoods because they are easy to conceal. They still produce odors that can be detected by the neighbors, but it is for a shorter time period. The smell of amonia, ether, and solvents can all be tell-tale signs of a clandestine meth lab. I urge each of you to be involved in your community and keep an eye on your neighborhood. If you notice these odors in your neighborhood, please report them to the local police department. Your name can be kept confidential. When Law Enforcement get into the area and can pinpoint the building that the odors are coming from, they can at least knock on the door and find out where the odor is coming from.

Keep in mind that your police officers have rules that they have to operate by. This is not always a fast process and may involve a lengthy investigation. Be persistant and stay on top of the problem. Work with us and we will work with you.

Contact your State Legislators and ask them to pass laws restricting the sale of Psuedoephedrine. This is the one ingredient that is necessary to manufacture Methamphetamine. Without it, the local Meth Labs will not exist.

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at the Warrick County Sheriff's Office. If your festivities include alcohol this holday season, please designate a driver that is not consuming alcohol. We do not want anyone's holiday to be spoiled by an arrest or a horrible crash.

Christmas Scams

Beware of holiday shopping scams that seem to be very popular this time of year. Scams like Santa's Helper, and others that use the names of of large retailers will ask you to cash a check or money order, deposit a small portion of the money into your bank account and wire the rest of the money to them in a foreign country. Then to make is seem like a you are helping someone out at the holidays, they ask you to visit a store and purchase gifts for someone that you know needs financial assistance.

In reality, you lost the money that you spent at the department store along with the money that you wired to them because the check or money order was a fraud.

When someone you do not know sends you a check or money order in the mail, you can bet that the money is not yours to keep.

If your gut instinct tells you that this is too good to be true, it is too good to be true. Enjoy the Christmas Season and give from your hearts.

Winter weather driving

Winter weather will be here before we know it. The first time that the roads get slick it seems that everyone is caught off guard. Make your preperations now and you will be one step ahead of everyone else. Make sure that you have an ice scraper in your vehicle. Check the weather before you go to bed at night, and if they are calling for bad weather make sure you get out of bed earlier to allow for cleaning off your vehicle and the additional time that it takes to make the drive to work. Let your vehicle run while you clean the windows, drive slower than normal to allow for slick roads, keep extra distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, allow extra time for stopping, and never use your cruise control on slick roads.

If you take a few precautions you can make it through the winter weather without having to visit the hospital or the body shop.

From all of us at the Warrick County Sheriff's Office, have a safe and happy holiday season!

Home burglaries and alarms

With the state of the economy being what it is, home burglaries are on the rise. This seems to occur every year prior to the holiday season. Burglers take things of value that they can turn into cash quickly. Small electronic devices, jewelry, handguns and other valuables that can be easily carried or put into a backpack. Several people have asked about the best types of alarm to put in at their residence. It is my opinion that an audible alarm that the neighbors can hear is the best type of alarm. Anything that draws attention to your home when it is being invaded will deter burglars. The alarm also needs to be tied to a telephone line, either with an alarm company or your personal cellphone to notify you of a problem.

Since it is the holiday season, a lot of people purchase gifts from internet sources. When you have them delivered to your home, make sure that they don't set on the porch any longer than necessary. Keep your mail and paper boxes cleaned out, and leave lights on inside the residence when you are gone. This gives the appearance that someone is home, even when you are not.

Find a neighbor that you can trust to keep an eye on your residence, moving a vehicle around in the driveway once in a while also gives the appearance that you are not away for an extended time period. Try to have your dwelling appear as normal as possible both when you are home and when you are away on vacation.

Daytime Burglaries

Daytime burglaries seem to be on the rise. Make sure to lock your house, detached buildings, and any vehicles left at home. If you are going to be away from your house for a few days, get a neighbor to keep an eye on things. It is a good idea to notify your local police department or Sheriff's Office and let them know to keep an eye on things while you are away. You may also give our dispatchers your contact information in case there is trouble. Don't invite trouble. Contact the Post Office and Newspaper and have them stop delivery until you return. There is no better sign of a vacant residence than mail and newspapers stacking up in the mailbox.

There has been at least one burglary in the north end of Warrick County, and a few in the south end. Possible vehicle description is a small white or silver colored Chrysler sedan with unknown occupants. If you spot someone suspicious, get as good of a description as possible of the persons and vehicles and call the police immediately. With the help of the citizens, we can put an end to this string of burglaries.

Criminal activity

Anytime you witness what you believe to be criminal activity, please call and report the activity to the police immediately. On Monday October 17th, there were people in Warrick County that witnessed what they believed to be several young men getting into cars and stealing items. One of the ladys didn't bother to call the Sheriff's Office until about an hour later when she realized that her vehicle was one of them that had been broken into and articles were stolen. We all need to look out for one another, don't stand by and watch a criminal commit crimes against your neighbor, you could very well be the next victim. Your Sheriff's Deputies are out there to protect you and your neighbors. If you witness a crime call the Sheriff's Office and report it so we can do our job. In this case the criminals were caught because another citizen called in when they chased away from their car, and a second person saw them hanging around the area and realized that they shouldn't be there. When good citizens get involved things get done.

Halloween Safety

With Halloween quickly approaching I thought I would pass along a few tips. When picking out your children's costumes, try to get light colored reflective material. Never let your children Trick or Treat without adult supevision, stay in neighborhoods that you are familiar with, and check the Registered Sex Offender list before you head out. Always error on the side of caution and follow your gut instinct. If something doesn't feel right stay away from it. From all of us at your Sheriff's Office have a Happy Halloween.

Labor Day weekend

This is the last three day weekend of the summer season. Everyone at the Sheriff's Office hopes that you enjoy the weekend but we wish you would do so safely. If you are consuming alcoholic beverages please do not get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive. I will assure you that law enforcement officers will be out in great numbers and none of us want to work a vehicle crash or take you to jail for Driving while intoxicated.

Have a great Labor Day weekend.

Meth Labs

The Warrick County Deputies and the City Police Departments have been working hard together to seek out and arrest people that are manufacturing and dealing methamphetamine and other illegal drugs. We appreciate the help of the public and information that you provide to us can be kept confidential. If you suspect someone of manufacturing or dealing in illegal drugs please give us a call and we will follow up on the tip. Some times these investigations take time but we will get them eventually. You can call into the Sheriff's Office at any time and ask for an investigator, or you can simply call and give the information to one of the dispatchers if an investigator is not available. We are all working together to keep Warrick County safe for everyone that lives and works here.

National Night Out

National Night Out is coming up on August 2nd, 2011. This is a good time for the local communities to come out and visit with your law enforcement officers, and also discuss any problems that you are having in your area. It is also a good time to come out and meet your neighbors and develope a sense of community. There are four National Night Out celebrations in Warrick County this year. The one that the county is sponsoring is located in South Broadview Subdivision and is open to any residents of the county. This will be at the intersection of Jeffries and Nottingham. The streets will be closed to through traffic. Also the city of Boonville, and the towns of Elberfeld and Chandler are having celebrations. I hope that you take advantage of the free food and cool beverages and enjoy the evening spent with your neighbors.

Neighborhood Watch

All of us live in a neighborhood, rather it is in town, a subdivision, or in a rural area. We all depend on our neighbors for help from time to time. With vacation season upon us, we should all take advantage of the relationships that we have built in our neighborhoods. When leaving town for vacation, you should have at least one neighbor that you can depend on to keep an eye on things around your residence. Leave a key to your residence with someone that you trust in case of an emergency, and notify your Sheriff's Office or local police department that you are out of town, and also give them the contact information for the person that is keeping an eye on your residence. Let the police know that your neighbor may be checking on the house from time to time, and that they have a key to the house. You may also give them a description of the neighbors vehicle if necessary.

If you already have a Neighborhood Watch Association and meet regulary, you should know which of your neighbors that you can trust. If you do not have a Neighborhood Watch Group and would like to start one, you may contact Sergeant Todd Neff at the Warrick County Sheriff's Office and he can give you some tips on starting the group.

One thing that you do not want to do before going on vacation is to post details of your trip on Facebook and other networking websites. If you want to talk about your vacation wait until you return home.

If you would like to notify the Sheriff's Office that you are going to be out of town, and would like for deputies to keep an eye on your residence while you are gone, please call Warrick Dispatch 897-1200 and let them know that you are leaving town. Also give them contact information for emergency situations as well as the contact information for the person that will be checking on your residence while you are gone.

Have a good time and enjoy your vacation, you have earned it.

Summer safety tips

With summertime fast approaching, and children out of school you should probably know where the registered sex and violent offenders are located in your area. You can find the registry by visiting this website, or by visiting http://www.indianasheriffs.org/ . You may also sign up for free email alerts when a new offender registers in your area. Keep in mind that not all criminals are registered, and you should always know where your children are and who they are associating with. Check out their friends, and get to know their friend's parents before letting them visit or stay overnight. Your children and their wellbeing is your responsibility. Let's all make this a safe and happy summer.

Texting and driving against the law in Indiana

As of July 1st, 2011 it will be against the law in Indiana to type, transmit, or read text messages or e-mail while operating a motor vehicle. Police officers will be allowed to pull you over and issue a citation for this offense, and the fine could be as much as $500. Drivers using hand-held devices are four times more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle crash. Distracted drivers accounted for 7,800 collisions in 2009 and cost Indiana tax payers $257 million dollars. Please drive safely, don't text and drive, and don't give my deputies a reason to pull you over and issue a citation. Let's do everything we can to keep Indiana's roadways as safe as possible.

Seatbelt Enforcement Blitz

Police agencies all across Indiana will be stepping up Seatbelt Enforcement Patrols on Rural Roads through the month of May. Seat belts not only save lives, but they save money. Vehicle crashes are the reason that insurance premiums increase. When a vehicle crash results in a fatality, it costs the insurance company more money and the costs are passed along to the consumer. Everyone in a vehicle needs to wear a seatbelt. Numerous lives are lost every year because a passenger or driver of a motor vehicle was not wearing their seatbelt when the crash occured. Buckle up, protect yourself and your family, and save a few dollars.