HOT SPRING COUNTY, Ark.- With Summer weather creeping up in Arkansas, the Hot Spring County Sheriff’s Office said so will the crime. The sheriff said they’re working to overcome an expected increase in criminal activity while not putting more pressure on their jail.

Hot Spring County Sheriff Scott Finkbeiner said the county is in a situation right now where they’re trying to get control back because of crime and he said he expects to see it intensify in the Summer through September.

“We see an increase in domestic violence cases and we see an increase in thefts and narcotics,” Finkbeiner said. 

He said the sheriff’s office is hoping to alleviate those crimes through increased policing.

“We’re trying to combat that by increasing patrols and making more traffic stops and working more crime areas,” Finkbeiner said. 

Finkbeiner said they bought updated software for the computers inside their police units.

“Things like Atlas which allows us to run peoples drivers licenses. We have a barcode scanner. We can scan it and it will tell you their criminal history,” Finkbeiner said.

However, he says they’re having to balance the arrest they will make with their jail being at full capacity.

“We’re moving some people to other counties. Which costs us money we’re spending 10-12 thousand a month housing an overflow of inmates,” Finkbeiner said.

Finkbeiner said Hot Spring County is over 650 square miles and to have that large presence they want they have patrols set up throughout the county hoping this will send a clear message come summertime.

“Our goal is to make this a destination where people don’t want to commit crime,” Finkbeiner said.

The sheriff said they’re also working on getting additional help from officers to prepare for the rise in crime. He also said they are working on building a new jail with more beds