2006 was a very busy year for the Court Services Division.  The following statistics detail each area of Court Services and the extent of activity.   

EVIDENCE COLLECTION:   

     In order to prove criminal cases, it may become necessary for Deputies to collect and store evidence at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.  Evidence collected may be as small as a piece of paper or as large as a motor vehicle.  Whatever the case may be, it is the responsibility of the evidence technician to properly file and store evidence for various cases.  It is important to note that not all property collected by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is for the sole purpose of pursuing a criminal case.  Many times the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is called upon to hold evidence for safekeeping.  An example of such request may come from the Domestic Relations Court.  It is not uncommon for the Sheriff’s Office to receive an order from a Judge, directing us to remove weapons (mainly firearms) from what the court deems a “volatile home” anywhere in Lake County.  Many cases, whether they be criminal or civil in nature, remain in evidence until released by a Judge or Prosecutor.  This process alone may take many years to complete.

        -             603 total cases were processed through the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Evidence Room.
        -         1,403 items of evidence were processed as a result of those 603 cases. 

                                                        Number of Cases 

 S.O.R.N.: 

      In recent years there have been laws/provisions made to the ORC in regards to sex offenders who are either incarcerated or have been released from prison.  Sheriffs’ Offices throughout the State of Ohio have been tasked with the important responsibility of tracking sex offenders.  The responsibility involves registering offenders either once a year or every (90) days, depending on their classification.  Deputies assigned to this responsibility must keep updated records of offenders, where they reside, and or where they work.  It is also the responsibility of these Deputies to notify the community and local schools when a registered sex offender moves into their community.  These notifications are almost always made in the form of mass mailings which is supported by the taxpayers of Lake County. 

        -         (93) Sex Offenders were registered in Lake County for this year. 
        -          (99) ninety day predator registrations were made.  NOTE:  Offenders deemed as “predators” must register with a
               local Sheriff’s Office every 90 days for life.
        -          (35) changes of address were made for sexual offenders in Lake County.
        -          (21) changes of address were made for sexual predators in Lake County.
        -          In properly documenting the moves of registered sex offenders there were 3,427 offender notifications made  
              throughout various communities in Lake County. 
        -          Notifications resulted in a mail cost of $1,314.48 and a personnel cost of $537.40.      

 CCW:          

            As with sex offender registrations, Sheriffs’ Offices throughout the State of Ohio have been given the statutory responsibility of issuing concealed weapons permits.  Permits may be issued on a permanent/renewable basis or on a temporary/emergency basis.  Registrations involve the verification of an applicants mandated firearms training and the completion of a criminal background investigation.  Deputies must also issue a physical permit which is subject to revocation if the CCW law is not followed by the permit holder.  What is important to note is that anyone may apply for a CCW permit in their home county or in an adjacent county.  Not all CCW permit applicants who have registered in Lake County are residents of this county. 

        -          (907) CCW permits were issued through the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
        -          (21) CCW permits have been suspended. 
        -          (20) CCW permits have been denied. 
        -          (17) CCW permits have been revoked. 

 ISSUANCE OF COURT ORDERS:

      Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies are responsible for the issuing of different orders from the Lake County Courts of Common Pleas.  These orders are in the form of indictments, domestic violence protection orders, civil stalking orders, warrants on indictment, and civil/criminal subpoenas   The Lake County Sheriff’s Office will also deliver papers from other county courts as long as the recipient of those papers resides in Lake County. 

        -          (5140) Misc. Court Documents issued. 
        -          (396) Summons on Indictment issued.
        -          (160) Civil Stalking Protection Orders issued. 
        -          (156) Domestic Violence Protection Orders issued. 
        -          Service was made on 3983 orders.
        -          Service was attempted on 2239 orders.

 SHERIFF’S SALES:

     For 2006, the Lake County Sheriff has continued to see a rise in the area of Sheriff’s Sales.  With the exception of replevins, all other categories are on the rise. 

        -          Foreclosures:  881 (up 139 from 2005)
        -          Writs:  104 (up 34 from 2005)
        -          Executions:  45 (up 22 from 2005)
        -          Replevins:  21 (down 7 from 2005)

FUGITIVE EXTRADITIONS/WARRANTS:

      Whether an arrest warrant has been issued by a grand jury or through a probable cause hearing, it is the responsibility of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to locate and apprehend those individuals.  In many cases people flee prosecution at which point they become fugitives.  Regardless if someone has fled 1 mile or 3000 miles, it is our responsibility to apprehend these individuals and bring them back to Lake County for their day in court.  Many fugitives leave the State of Ohio figuring they can simply blend in with society to avoid prosecution.  Some feel the further they travel the better off they are.  This is not the case.  Fugitive extraditions require coordination not only logistically, but financially. 

     The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is always looking at ways to save taxpayers money in order to bring fugitives back to Lake County for their necessary court hearings.   Outside of having L.C.S.O. Deputies bring fugitives back to Ohio, which may be costly, assistance from the U.S. Marshall’s Office or TransCor may be needed.  Based on the amount of prisoner transports the U.S. Marshall’s Office completes across the country daily, they are able to bring fugitives back from a far away state much cheaper than the L.C.S.O.  The same holds true for TransCor, a private prisoner transportation company based out of Tennessee.  By using the U.S. Marshall’s and TransCor we have saved the taxpayers thousands of dollars annually.  We no longer have to pay Deputies to travel to far away locations, which would include the cost of meals, hotel accommodations, and air fare.  Exceptional cases aside, Deputies from the L.C.S.O. mainly handle extraditions that do not require an overnight stay.

         -          (14) Extraditions were completed by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.  No extended cost has been associated
                with these arrests due to the quick turn around time. 
        -          (12) Extraditions were completed by TransCor at a cost of $10,330.70
        -          (11) Extraditions were completed by the U.S. Marshalls at a cost of $11,430.07

         *    NOTE:  The above arrest numbers represent out of state extraditions.  This year alone, fugitives were extradited
              from California, Texas, Illinois, Louisiana, Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and various other Federal Institutions
              located throughout the United States.

      The Lake County Sheriff’s Office currently holds about 700 outstanding arrest warrants.  This number is low, considering the fact that warrants are received here at the Sheriff’s Office on a daily basis.  Communication and coordination with other local, state, and federal police agencies is key to having successful criminal apprehensions when pursuing fugitives.  The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is always seeking innovative ways to locate fugitives.  Thanks to technological advances and an outstanding rapport with other police agencies, fugitive apprehensions have been very successful for 2006.

        -          (1671) Warrants were received at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.  This number is up (112) from 2005.  
        -          In the fall of this year the Lake County Sheriff’s Office participated in Operation Falcon II.  An operation sponsored
          by the U.S Marshall’s Office at a national level.  As a result of this weeklong operation, (35) apprehensions were
         made in Lake County.

COURT HOUSE SECURITY: 

      With public safety being paramount, there have been numerous changes in the security procedures at the various Lake County Common Pleas Courts in 2006.  One item in particular is the way we track and prohibit contraband from entering into the Lake County Court House and the Lake County Juvenile Detention Facility.  This procedure was implemented in August of 2006, so a total for the year does not exist.  By tracking our progress we are able to fairly evaluate what might be missed if we were not diligent in our duties. 

        -          (199) Items of contraband were barred in August of 2006.
        -          (157) Items of contraband were barred in September of 2006.
        -          (201) Items of contraband were barred in October of 2006.
        -          (195) Items of contraband were barred in November of 2006.
        -          (158) Items of contraband were barred in December of 2006.

 TOTAL:  910 items of contraband

 *    NOTE:  Contraband has been determined to be any weapon, item that may be used as a weapon, or item not 
       permitted into the court house by a Judge’s order.                                                                                   

PRISONER TRANSPORTS:

      It is the responsibility of the Deputies from the Court Services Division to complete all prisoner transports.  Prisoner transports include going to and from court, hospitals, and the various prisons throughout Ohio.  It is also our responsibility to assist other agencies in completing prisoner transports that they cannot due themselves.  Examples of this pertain to the Lake County Narcortic’s Agency and the Lake County Juvenile Detentions Facility.  The L.C.S.O. also assists the U.S. Marshall’s Office in transporting prisoners they have housed at the Lake County Jail to the Federal Court House in Cleveland.  It should be noted that the U.S. Marshall’s Office reimburses the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for all prisoner transports.     

*(505)* This number represents the transports completed for LCNA and the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center.  This number also includes the daily money escorts for the various county offices as well the times Deputies were called to the Lake County Court House and Juvenile Court to provide extra security for court hearings.

 United States Marshal Transports