Codington County Sheriff’s Office Reports Busy July With 208 Jail Bookings, Strong Revenue in Watertown, SD

Monthly Report: Highlighting the efforts and achievements of the Codington County Sheriff's Office, this report encompasses data and insights, reinforcing their commitment to courage, service, and integrity.

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Codington County Sheriff’s Office remains busy, maintaining high operational paces and generating revenue from state and out-of-county contracts. Codington County Sheriff Brad Howell presented the comprehensive July 2026 monthly report to the Codington County Commissioners during their Tuesday meeting, detailing a month of extensive field operations, steady jail populations, and strong financial balances.

Financials and Out-of-County Revenues

Sheriff Howell began his report with an overview of the department’s financial standing. The commissary balance sheet closed July with a grand total of $26,798.54. This total included $981.72 from the lobby booking kiosk and $25,816.82 in the checking account. The department also collected $2,384.68 in total commissions, largely driven by commissary and phone usage.

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The Sheriff’s Office checking account ended the month with a balance of $10,786.41. July collections added up to $9,896.91, stemming primarily from sheriff’s fees ($9,401.91), along with warrant fees ($275), fingerprinting ($200), and copy fees ($20).

The county continues to see substantial revenue from housing out-of-county and state inmates. Howell reported collections of $25,758.27 for out-of-county contracts in July alone.

“You can see the out-of-county contracts are staying a little bit high, still receiving a lot of money there from the state,” Howell noted to the commissioners. He added that the jail was housing seven state inmates and one out-of-county contract inmate at the time of the meeting, with the remainder being Codington County inmates.

Jail Operations and the 24/7 Sobriety Program

The Codington County jail remained steadily populated throughout July, with 208 total bookings processed—a figure Howell noted is staying average compared to the rest of the year.

Jail Population Statistics (July 2026):

·         Average Daily Population (ADP): 63.29

·         High ADP: 68 (Recorded on July 26)

·         Low ADP: 59 (Recorded on July 1)

The county’s 24/7 Sobriety Program also maintained strong community participation, yielding $10,500.75 in collected fees. The program monitored 108 total participants utilizing various testing methods:

·         Twice-Daily PBT (Preliminary Breath Test): 49 participants

·         Twice-Weekly UA (Urinalysis): 40 participants

·         SCRAM Bracelet: 10 participants

·         Remote Breath: 9 participants

Additionally, the county collected $2,040 in work release fees for the month.

Field Activity and Warrants

Out in the 700-square-mile jurisdiction, deputies managed a heavy caseload. The Sheriff’s Office recorded 554 cases and calls for service in July. Deputies successfully served 61 warrants and 195 civil papers, alongside completing 7 accident reports.

Transporting individuals across the state and the country also required significant effort from the department, totaling 17 trips, 24 people transported, and exactly 3,992 transport miles logged for the month.

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