Sheriff’s Office 2018 Report

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – It was a busy year for the Muskingum County Sheriff Office.

Sheriff Matt Lutz said when it comes to the patrol division, they saw a small drop in traffic accidents (from 347 to 274) and citations/summons (from 4,325 to 3,790), but an increase in the number of incidents they handled (from 22,158 to 23,975), along with arrests made. Lutz said he thinks the increase is due to more people turning to the authorities to deal with issues rather than trying to handle it themselves.

“I think with the higher profile stuff that you see in the media now, folks are a little more apt to just call law enforcement and let us deal with things instead of trying to deal with it themselves, and for the most part that’s probably a good thing. We don’t want anybody getting hurt, that’s what we’re here for,” said Lutz.

Lutz said for the Detective Bureau of the office they did see an increase in cases assigned (from 772 to 940) due to the increase of incidents they dealt with, along with a bump in the number of drug investigations (from 57 to 101). He said overall things have gone well this year for the members of the office, and that the important thing is it’s been a safe year.

“When we get through a year and not have any major incidences as far as anybody getting hurt,” said Lutz. “We’ve had a few runs to the ER for the guys that’s been tangled up with stuff but for the most part it’s been a pretty safe year and we’re very thankful for that.”

Lutz said they continue to stress to the public that if you see something, say something. He wants to ensure the public that they are trying to do what they can when it comes to calls, and for the public to continue making reports.