St. Francois County sheriff cites rising calls, weekend incidents and criticizes state-mandated prosecutor pay increase

Sheriff Kevin told commissioners the countys calls for service are trending upward and outlined a busy holiday weekend response that included multiple serious incidents.

Kevin said the weekly calls for service were 396 (up 16 from the prior week) and the year-to-date total stood at 10,480. The jail population stood at 115 inmates (97 males and 18 females). He also described the July 25 reporting period, during which deputies responded to 239 calls: 37 traffic stops, 25 disturbances (five domestic violence-related), 17 motor vehicle accidents (five with serious injuries), three pursuits (all suspects taken into custody), two missing-person assists (including an 82-year-old man who was found), a shots-fired call in Iron Mountain Lake that resulted in an arrest and a dogs death, and a drowning call where the person was later found safe.

"We got a $15,000 raise for prosecutor. It's another unfunded mandate from the state," Kevin said, criticizing House Bill 1825 and its fiscal impact on county budgets. He estimated the total salary-and-benefits cost to the county at roughly $22,000 for the mandated increase and called the statewide process "a little different animal," saying counties must absorb increases even when local revenue growth is limited.

Kevin also noted the county currently has five judges and that related court requirements — such as courtroom production — can create timing and cash-flow issues because state reimbursements may arrive later. He said better documentation of storm expenditures will help the county seek reimbursement when federal or state assistance is available.

The sheriffs office presented the operational statistics to inform commissioners of staffing and resource pressures; commissioners did not take formal action on the report during the session. The transcript attributes the reporting and statements about House Bill 1825 directly to Sheriff Kevin.