COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) - Six weeks into his job as the new Sheriff of Branch County and with a depleted staff of deputies, John Pollack last night told a group of township supervisors from across the county that so far, preliminary numbers indicate no significant increase in crime since January First. Pollack cautioned the figures are only for one month and just from the Sheriff’s Department. He also admitted that budget cuts mean his department can’t get out to investigate all of the complaints that are called into 911 central dispatch.

In addition, Sheriff Pollack said meth complaints have gone down because both of the department’s meth officers were laid off. That means no one is coming in nightly to check the pseudo logs which are kept by pharmacies to list customers who buy pseudophedrine. That information is sent to the state. The logs can uncover someone who might be purchasing a suspiciously large quantity of the drug that is used to manufacture meth. When that happened, deputies would go to the suspect’s residence for an interview which at times would lead to a search warrant and arrest. Again, that practice has been suspended for now because of the deputy cutbacks.