As Sheriff of Scott County, I would like to discuss an issue very close to each of us — crime prevention. Our office is committed to making our neighborhoods safer places to live. By doing so, we will improve the quality of life for individuals ...

On Friday, January 22, 2016, the Sheriff’s Office will be presenting a Life Saving Award at 9:00 a.m. in the Sheriff’s Office Administrative Conference Room in the Scott County Courthouse.

Scott County Sheriff’s Deputy Jamey Fah, Blu...

With the 5 year anniversary of the Iowa Weapons Carry Permit law upon us, and with many carry permit holders getting ready to renew their 5 year carry permits, I thought it was important to share the information on the difference between the new carry permit and the renewal permit, as well as remind the public of the process of obtaining a weapons permit in the Scott County Sheriff's Office.

An applicant for a new permit to carry must present evidence of having completed any one of several training options at any time prior to the date of application.   In many cases, a training course that a person took in the past may have included qualification on a firing range, but qualification on a range is not a requirement to obtain a new permit - it is only an option for someone wishing to renew a permit.  If, for example, many years ago, a person completed any one of the training options specified in the law, that training can be presented to obtain a new permit.  The fee for a new permit is $54 and the permit is valid for five years from the date of issuance.

The law is clear in specifying that a person applying to renew a currently held permit must submit the renewal application at least 30 days prior to the expiration of the current permit.   A person wishing to renew a current permit is required to have received any one of several training options within the twelve months prior to the expiration date of the currently held permit, or, the applicant has the option of simply qualifying on a firing range under the supervision of a certified instructor within the twelve months before the expiration of the current permit.  The renewal fee is $29 and the permit is valid for five years from the date of issuance.

If a person who currently holds a permit does not wish to attend additional training or qualify on a firing range to renew the permit at the lower fee, a person could submit an application for a new permit less than 30 ays before the expiration of the current permit or after the expiration of the current permit, in which case the application will be considered a new permit application. Documentation of completion of any ofthe training options listed in the law, regardless of when the training occurred, will satisfy the requirements of the law, and the new permit fee of $54 will apply.

ALL applications for weapons permits, i.e. purchase permits, new carry permits and renewal carry permits, are accepted on-line ONLY through the Scott County Sheriff's Office. The on-line application can be found on the Scott County web page at www.scottcountyiowa.com/sheriff.  If an individual wishes to obtain a weapons permit but does not have access to a home computer, there is a computer in the lobby of the Sheriff's Office in the basement of the Scott County Courthouse.

The Scott County Sheriff's Office discovered irregularities in various accounts that were the responsibility of a Sheriff's Office employee that had been terminated.

These accounts were reviewed by Sheriff's Office staff and Scott County Administration.  It was determined that forensic accounting services would be necessary and an RFP was issued with McGladrey LLP being recommended to conduct this work.

Preliminary results of this accounting investigation indicate that monies are missing.  Based on this preliminary information, the Davenport Police Department has been requested to begin a criminal investigation in regards to the missing monies.

When the accounting investigation is done, and the Davenport Police Department completes their investigation, the results of these investigations will be turned over to the Scott County Attorney's Office for possible criminal charges.

As a result of this discovery of missing monies, the Sheriff's Office, in conjunction with County Administration, has implemented controls to ensure that this type of incident does not occur in the future.  Further review of controls will be done in conjunction with the McGladrey completed study and the work of the County audit firm Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP.