Commissioners
hear law enforcement update Sheriff reports ‘disturbing trends’
in local crime due to economy
By Scott Nicholson
The Watauga County Board of Commissioners received updates
and law enforcement and emergency response on Friday, with the
recession and funding concerns as a backdrop.
Sheriff Len Hagaman said there were “disturbing trends”
in local crime because of the economy. In particular, cyber crimes
have increased, such as online stalking, identity theft and computer-based
scams. “We have at least one case a day of identity theft,
either locally or from someone out of the county,” Hagaman
said.
Hagaman said some people had sold vehicles that didn’t exist,
while others use home improvements, paving or other traditional
scams that have now entered the virtual realm. Theft, particularly
from vehicles and homes, have increased, and Hagaman said there
were signs of gang activity, include “tagging” of gang
signs and vandalism. Suicides have increased, as have domestic-violence
calls, Hagaman said.
The sheriff’s office was also busy serving foreclosure notices,
with over 300 more this year than last, and an increase of 130
criminal papers served.
Overall, the office had an increase of 3,000 calls last year,
with 129 more narcotics charges made last year than the previous
year. In addition, concealed weapons permits have increased, averaging
1.5 more additional permits per day in January. Hagaman said permits
had increased since the presidential election, suggesting people
anticipated more restrictive gun laws. He said much of the increase
appeared to be among college students who lived off campus, particularly
females.
Hagaman said Watauga county had been identified by the state as
having some gang presence, with some linking of gangs and organized
crimes. “We do have that activity going on,” Hagaman
said.
Hagaman said “doctor shopping” and prescription-medicine
abuse had increased, with his office reviewing over 33,000 prescriptions
in the county last year. Hagaman said mental-health responses,
DNA sampling, and other services were adding to staff time.
“We are constantly being asked to do things on a daily basis
that I wouldn’t have dreamed of two years ago,” Hagaman
said.
Watauga Medics Inc. owner Craig Sullivan reported the ambulance
service responded to 4,460 calls in 2008, with 3,421 people transported.
Sullivan said calls had increased about 9 percent last year, nearly
double the average increase of the last 18 years. The Boone fire
district remained the busiest, with Blowing Rock second in the
county.
“We average about 12.2 calls a day, which keeps us busy,”
Sullivan said. “Keep in mind that an out-of-county transport
takes six hours.”
Twenty-three percent of the calls result in no transport, though
908 of the transports were emergency cases.
The average response time was 9 minutes and 23 seconds, ans Sullivan
said he personally reviewed any response that took longer than
20 minutes. He said in most cases, delays were due to the call
originating in a remote area of the county.
Sullivan said his company made all efforts to help people pay
and had never turned anyone over to a collection agency. He said
Watauga Medics worked with patients to file insurance, Medicaid
or Medicare.
Sullivan presented a plan to expand the hours of a nine-hour crew
to make it around the clock, which would cost about $240,000 a
year. The Emergency Medical Services committee recommended starting
it on Jan. 1.
Sullivan said Medicare billing was typically $350, with Medicare’s
maximum of $385, as well as additional mileage costs. He said
if the ambulance service billed at the maximum, it would generate
$90,000 a year to offset some of the cost.
Medicare accounts for about two-thirds of the ambulance service’s
billing, and Sullivan said most private insurance plans correspond
with Medicare rates.
Sullivan also asked for an extension of his contract with the
county, which is set to expire in 2010. County manager Rocky Nelson
said the county couldn’t compete by operating its own service,
though the county could choose to take bids to provide the service.
The ambulance service contract runs for five years. Nelson said
the emergency-response system was running smoothly and said the
commissioners should make any decision by April.
The ambulance service contract includes a county subsidy that
undergoes annual adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index,
amounting to $700,524 in 2000 and $694,943 in 2008.
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