TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) — It may be hard to believe, but about 66 percent of a nearly $30 million budget in Tippecanoe County is spent on people who break the law. That includes the county’s court system, the prosecutor’s office, and coming in with the largest tab at more than $10 million — the sheriff’s office. News 18 investigates the cost of an inmate in Tippecanoe County and reports on what it takes to run a county jail that’s open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
For 2015, Tippecanoe County’s budget is approved for nearly $30 million and about a third of that is set aside for the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office.
Tippecanoe County Sheriff Tracy Brown told News 18, “Our budget for the sheriff’s office for the total operations is about $10.4 million for 2015.”