Howard County Sheriff's Office of Nebraska

Howard County is located in Central Nebraska, along the Loup River Valley. Villages of Howard County consist of Dannebrog, Elba, Boelus, Farwell, St. Libory, Cotesfield, and Cushing, 576 square miles. The Sheriff's Office employs 4 sworn full-time deputies, 5 sworn part-time deputies, 1 reserve deputy, 1 K-9 (Jet), 6 911 Dispatchers and 2 support staff. Current Sheriff is Thomas Busch who took off

ice in 2015. The Howard County Sheriff's Department was created in 1855 and has functioned in Howard County since its organization in 1871. In this time span there has been 19 elected Sheriff's. The Sheriff and Deputies furnished their own cars until the county purchased their first patrol unit in the fall of 1989. The Sheriff's Department currently has 1 Ford Crown Victoria, 1 Ford F150 Pickup, 3 Dodge Chargers, 1 Dodge Ram Pickup, and 1 Chevy Tahoe

The Howard County Board of Commissioners closed the jail in 1969 because it did not meet jail standards and it cost too much to get it into compliance. Prisoners are now taken to neighboring counties. The most famous prisoners to spend time in the Howard County Jail were two men by the names of Cole and Grammer. These two were arrested on July 18, 1917 and charged with murder. They were later convicted in Howard County District Court and were the first to be electrocuted in the State of Nebraska. Communications Center:
In 1977 the City of St. Paul and the County of Howard joined into an agreement and formed the St. Paul Howard County Communication Center. The Communication Center receives all calls for the St. Paul Police Department, the Howard County Sheriff's Department, 6 Fire Departments and 6 EMT/QRT Departments. The Howard County Sheriff serves as the Director of the Communication Center.