The Police and Sheriff's departments are highly regarded and considered understaffed.

"Our Police and Sheriff's Departments are great and the Legal System tries to do its job. Budget constraints make these services more limited than that which is needed, but overall there is a sense that this is a priority in the community."

"Our police force works to do a good job but more policemen are needed."

"I feel that there needs to be more than 2 Sheriff officers on patrol. This County is too large to be adequately protected by this number of deputies."

The jail population is approaching capacity. One officer recalls that fourteen years ago, there were 86 people incarcerated; now there are 325. While a number of people said a new jail is needed, a few advocated instead for less incarceration and more prevention.

Lawyers are in ample supply, but legal aid is stretched. Everyone facing criminal charges is provided legal representation, but help is scarce for civil matters. Specific examples of unmet legal needs involved single parents suffering through custody disputes and nonpayment of child support.

As seen in the chart, crime has been on the rise since 1987. Violent crime has held fairly steady, especially since 1999, with cases averaging 273 per year. The increase has been in property crime. Crime reports totaled 4,020 in 2005.

Drugs are a concern. In 2006 Howard County reported 57 seizures of methamphetamine laboratories, placing it second in the state. Law enforcement officers say that meth labs have subsided since Sudafed was taken off the shelf, but use of meth, as well as marijuana and crack cocaine persists.