By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir said law enforcement typically sees an uptick in thefts and burglaries once spring and summer arrive. While theft crimes will be a focus for his department, Bellendir noted methamphetamine and fentanyl arrests are still the biggest concern in Central Kansas.
The Barton County Sheriff’s Office stays proactive by “looking for trouble.”
"There are parts of the State of Kansas that drug enforcement is not a high priority for some law enforcement agencies," said Bellendir. "I think that's unfortunate. I think drugs are the biggest problem because they're related to a lot of the other crimes we run across like thefts, batteries and homicides. It has something to do with the elicit drugs that are coming in."
The national news reports the number of border crossings are down significantly since the new presidential administration took office in January. Bellendir said immigration is not what he worries about, but all of the drugs that were coming across the southern border is a concern. So far, the Barton County area has not seen the effect of tightening up the drug supply, but there is a thought of meth labs reemerging.
"We haven't seen a meth lab in 10 or 15 years because it was so much cheaper and easier to buy what was smuggled in," said Bellendir. "It's pure economics. If it gets tight and hard to get the dope across the border again, we may see an uptick in meth labs. I don't know, but that's something we're preparing for."
Bellendir noted it has been close to 20 years since the area and the country was at the height of the meth lab problem.