Pottawattamie County Sheriff

Jeff Danker spoke at the Optimist Club.  He has worked for 32 years with the Sheriff’s Office.

Danker talked about the county communication system update.  Some agencies now use VHF, some UHF, and some use 800 MHz systems.  The Federal Government gave the county $3.4M to upgrade the system.  The total cost, including towers, shelters, microwave, and approximately 1000 radios is expected to be about $17M.

The county covers about 1000 square miles.  It is difficult for officers in some locations to communicate.  With the new system they will have additional towers to be able to reach more areas.  They are adding four tower locations.  The new 800 MHz system will also be tied into the Douglas County system.  It also allows officers to set up special talk groups for special situations requiring focused communications.

The county sheriff’s office also handles eviction notices and foreclosures.  There has only been a small increase in evictions and the number of foreclosures has leveled off after increasing significantly last year.