The Ramsey County Sheriffs Office has had a relatively quiet year, according to Sheriff Steve Nelson.
And that hasn't put much strain on his department, which covers a big area.
“It’s been decent, maybe average or a little below as far as crime goes,” the sheriff says. “Even the farm burglaries, which we usually deal with, are down.”
Nelson says he thinks crime in rural areas of North Dakota has been down for a few years.
Meth is not nearly the problem it once was, but that has been replaced by a painkiller called oxycontin.
It's a prescription medication that has led people into “doctor shopping” as Nelson calls it.
Those in search of the pill can roam from community to community and end up with four or five prescriptions with prices varying between $40 to $120.
“The pharmacies are starting to catch on to it, though,” said Nelson. “We all have to stay one step ahead of this stuff all the time.”
Aside from the drugs, the sheriff said his department also deals with a normal amount of runaways and domestic disturbances.
Civil papers are often served on residents, often relating to financial problems.
This part of the country has not seen as much of those problems as other areas in the country have, but it has not been totally immune to it.
“There have been some foreclosures around here, too,” Nelson added.
