About Hamlin County Sheriff, South Dakota

Hamlin County sheriff’s department is a team of qualified officers dedicated to serving Hamlin County residents and the community with integrity, honesty, and professionalism. The sheriff’s department office is located in Hayti, South Dakota. The Sheriff’s Office sits on 538 square miles of land. The Hamlin county sheriff is responsible for keeping the 5,900 citizens of Hamlin county and ensuring they enjoy their rights.

The Hamlin County Sheriff’s Office was established in 1873 and has served Hamlin county ever since. The department is determined to continue serving the county to the best of its ability and invites the public and the community to support them in carrying out their community-based activities. The sheriff’s department works tirelessly to curb the increasing crime concerns, maintain peace and order, and ensure that the people within their jurisdiction are safe and well secure.

The Sheriff

Hamlin county sd sheriff, Chad Schlotterbeck heads the Hamlin county sheriff’s department. The sheriff has over 20 years of experience in law enforcement and legal matters and holds a master’s degree in science management and a degree in Psychology. He served Castlewood Police and Estelline Police Departments before being appointed as the Hamlin County Sheriff’s Office senior Sheriff. He also served in the U.S Air force for four years and the South Dakota Air national guard for two years.

Chad Schlotterbeck was appointed to be the Hamlin county sheriff at the start of 2013. He became the president of South Dakota Peace Officers in 2016.

Assisting the sheriff in carrying tasks and responsibilities is a team of one deputy (Tayt Alexander), four deputies, and one secretary. All deputies work full time.

Services the Hamlin County Sheriff Department Offers

The Hamlin sheriff office is tasked with a lot of responsibilities, among them, being:

Criminal Investigations

The sheriff and his deputies do all the criminal investigations within their jurisdictions in Hamlin county. Criminal cases in Hamlin county are on the rise, and for instance, the sheriff’s department handles 260 yearly on average. These cases range from a low-level misdemeanor to major felony cases.

The sheriff patrols the whole of Hamlin county to ensure there is order. The office collaborates with local and state agencies in providing that Hamlin County is safe and that its people are secure.

The office emphasizes handling criminal cases to ensure justice is served.

Traffic Control

Traffic flow is a crucial concern in any traffic. Traffic accidents have seen many people lose their lives and property. For instance, in reference to the South Dakota Annual Accident Report published in 2014, Hamlin County reported 148 traffic accidents and property damages in excess of $581,800.

The sheriff and his deputies collaborate with the community to ensure an organized traffic flow on all highways within Hamlin county. The office has employed speed radar trailers, saturation patrols, and other educational tools in a pursuit to reduce traffic accidents.

Fingerprint Services

The sheriff’s office provides fingerprint services to its Hamlin residents for several reasons, including child adoption checks, employment background checks, and weapons permits. To get a fingerprint service, ensure you call the office at normal working hours to book an appointment.

On your visit, ensure you carry your fingerprint card because the office does not provide fingerprint cards.

Civil Processes

The sheriff and his deputies serve civil papers, warrants, criminal papers, and judgment execution throughout the county. They are also supposed to collect the civil fees for these papers.

Other services the sheriff department provides to the public are:

  • Alcohol monitoring
  • Community engagement in educational programs
  • Drug Abuse Resistance Education programs

You may call the sheriff’s office by phone at 605-783-3232 if you need a background check, have a complaint, or if you want to report criminal activity.

Codington County Regional Detention Center, SD

Codington County regional detention center is a medium-level security prison found in Watertown, Codington County, South Dakota. It was established in 1877 and named after an honored legislator called Rev. George S. S. Codington.

Codington county regional detention center is a 96-bed detention center for all felons, both juveniles and adults. The total number of inmates currently incarcerated is139 inmates. The detention facility boasts a monthly booking of 357 inmates booking on average and a total of about 2169 bookings every year.

Codington County regional detention center extends its services to inmates in Codington County and contracts counties including Hamlin, Clark, Kingsbury, and Deuel counties.

Prisoners at the Codington county detention center range from misdemeanor offenders to major crime offenders such as murderers and rapists, who are either awaiting trial or have already been sentenced. The majority of the inmates serve a jail sentence of one year or less. Other inmates housed at this detention facility are those arrested by Codington county Municipal police departments.

Codington County Regional Detention Center strives to better the physical and emotional condition of the inmates so when released, they can blend with the public well and co-exist with them safely.

What Codington County Regional Detention Center Allows

If you’re family or friend to the incarcerated inmates, Codington county regional detention centers allow you to:

  • Visit your inmate on the facility’s scheduled visitation days.
  • Send your incarcerated loved ones mail and receive them too from the inmate.
  • Communicate with the inmates through phone calls. The call should be legal and approved by the detention facility authorities.
  • Send the inmates monetary funds through their commissary accounts.

Who Manages Codington County Regional Detention Facility?

Sheriff Brad Howell leads Codington county as the chief law enforcement officer. Codington county detention facility is under Tom Walder, who serves as the Chief Corrections Officer at the facility. He is tasked with several responsibilities, including supervising and directing all operations in the facility and ensuring that the inmates have a secure and safe environment for their stay.

The detention center has 69 staff members who ensure the operations and welfare of the inmates and the whole facility is adhered to.

When to Call the Facility

Codington County regional detention center records and documents inmates’ records, including the inmates’ sentence records, arrest records, and court documents. The public may access this information when they need them by calling the facility authorities.

Other than this reason, you can also call the facility for one of the following reasons:

  • If you’re searching for your inmate
  • If you’re searching for inmates’ criminal records
  • If you want to find out about how to visit
  • If you need a background check done
  • If you want to communicate to the inmate

Bail and Bondsman in Codington Jail

Codington detention facility allows offenders to bail out awaiting their trial to ensure that they show up at the court for trial. The court refunds the money less applied fees if the defendant shows up for the trial as scheduled; otherwise, the money will not be refunded.

Defendants who can’t afford the bond can opt for a bondsman. The bondsman will post the bond on behalf of the defendant, but a fee, usually 10% of the total bail amount. Please, note that this 10% fee is non-refundable.

Inmate Roster

The Codington County Detention Center has an online search database that friends and family of the incarcerated inmates can use to do an inmate search to locate their inmates. The database allows you to find out who’s in jail and the recently released inmates.

You can search by the department of correction(DOC), last name, or first name. The facility updates the inmate roster daily, so all information is up-to-date.

Inmate Work Program

Inmates housed at Codington county detention center are assigned to community service work programs throughout the state. The inmates co-work with state employees daily. The inmates work as construction workers, office assistants, building maintenance personnel, auto repair mechanics, metal fabricators, and welding artisans. Others may also work in horticulture farms and industries or heating and air conditioning fields.

The inmates also work for federal government agencies and non-profit making agencies in the community.

Engaging inmates in these work programs induces work ethic and makes them realize their self-worth and potential.

How to Request for a Mugshot Removal

Codington county regional detention facility takes mugshots of the offenders on their admission to the jail facility. The mugshot is essentially a facial photo of the inmate. The mugshot is then documented and filed and may be accessed by the public on request.

Upon release, the inmate can request their mugshots to be removed from the jail system. To do so, you’ll need to confirm whether or not the arrest took place six months ago, if the charge was a felony crime, and if you were 18 years or older at the time of your arrest.

After confirming this information, you need to provide the following list of information:

  • Your name
  • The date you were arrested
  • The crime you were arrested for
  • The charges you were sentenced for
  • Your full address. It should include the street name, the city, state, and the Zip code.
  • Your phone number
  • Your email address.

If you’re requesting the mugshot release on behalf of an inmate, you’ll have to provide your name.