Submitted A graph from the Ward County Sheriff’s Department shows the agency’s calls for service in recent years.

Overall calls to the Ward County Sheriff’s Department were down in 2025, although the department’s annual report indicated vehicle pursuits and domestic violence calls remain at alarming levels.

The report released this past week shows the department received 21,605 calls for service in 2025, which calculates to a daily average of 59.19 calls. It represents a slight decrease of 261 calls from 2024, although it is the second highest total in a six-year period.

Domestic violence calls were up significantly to 151.

“This is the highest total number since 2021. The domestic violence calls have consistently remained at an alarmingly high number, and those calls are always some of the most complex and dangerous for everyone involved,” the report stated. There were 155 domestic violence calls in 2021 and 114 calls in 2024.

Officers also responded to 53 vehicle pursuits last year, either initiated by a deputy or in assisting other agencies.

“The 53 pursuit incidents in 2025 remain an alarmingly high number, but that is our lowest total in the previous four years,” the report stated. There were 74-76 pursuits in each of the previous three years.

Other key statistics in the report included 146 citations for driving under the influence, which was down slightly from 151 in 2024 and 154 in 2023. Driving under suspension citations totaled 366 in 2025, compared to 348 in 2024. Noncriminal traffic citations were lower than in the past, totaling 2,209, compared to 2,351 in 2024 and 2,910 in 2023.

In 2025, deputies responded to 419 traffic crashes, a decrease of 81 from the prior year. There were six fatal crashes.

A highlight of the past year was the addition of a second K9 team. K9 units Baxi and Niko were involved in 50 deployments last year for a combined 48 indications and 92 seizure incidents that resulted in 32 separate arrests. Most deployments were associated with cases handled by the Ward County Sheriff’s Department or Ward County Narcotics Task Force, but the K9 units also assisted the N.D. Highway Patrol and police departments in Minot, Surrey and Kenmare.

The 2025 report included statistics from the department’s special services.

– Investigations Division: 941 cases involving 1,428 offenses, with 1,157 arrests covering 1,240 separate counts.

– Civil Process Division: served 77 mental health committals originating in Ward County; received 41 requests to schedule special execution sales such as foreclosures; served or returned 8,188 pieces of civil process; received 339 delinquent accounts from the Ward County Tax Equalization Office for collection.

– Warrants: 2,527 felony warrants received for service from all law enforcement agencies within the county; 1,855 warrants served, cancelled or dismissed.

– Transports: 424 people moved during 280 transports to court hearings, psychological assessments, detention facilities or the State Hospital; 11 extraditions from out-of-state jurisdictions.

The Ward County Detention Center staff booked 3,477 individuals into the jail last year, compared to 3,710 in 2024 and 3,931 in 2023. The cost per day, per inmate, averaged just over $117. The jail billed $1.59 million to other agencies for housing their inmates.

Other Detention Center statistics included:

– 24/7 Sobriety Program served 625 participants, compared to 510 in 2024 and 1,904 in 2023.

– Medications for Opioid Use Disorder inducted 60 inmates into the program to begin medication and assisted 88 inmates to continue their medication.

– 36 inmates participated in a work release program.

– 1,791 inmates received medical attention in the jail; 1,137 inmates were seen by a psychological nurse; 71 inmates were taken to the emergency room; and 128 inmates were transported to medical appointments outside of the jail. The cost for medical care in 2025 was $781,066.

– The juvenile detention center housed 87 juveniles, up from 78 in 2024 and the second highest total in the past six years. The center housed juveniles from 12 counties, with 51 of total juveniles from Ward County. Cost per juvenile held averaged $762. The center collected $296,808 from other jurisdictions for housing juveniles, the highest revenue collection of the past five years.

Training continued to be a focus in the Sheriff’s Department, with an average of more than 57 training hours per deputy last year.

Training at the jail also exceeded the requirement for officers to receive 48 hours of training every three years.

A three-week Corrections Basic course taught locally provided training for 17 Ward County Detention Center officers and 25 officers from six other agencies in the state.