ST. JOSEPH — The jail population in Berrien County continues to fall, according to statistics in the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department 2010 Report.

The average daily population in jail was 333 for 2010, in comparison to 369 in 2009 and 388 in 2007. The jail reached overcrowding six times in 2010, while it was overcapacity 14 times in 2009. The three-story Berrien County Jail has 341 beds.

If the total number of inmates is more than 341 for more than six consecutive days, the jail population monitor will review the inmates’ cases to see if they could qualify for bond reduction or sentence reductions. In 2010, 559 inmates were given early release.

The number of bookings has continued to drop as well with 7,930 in 2010. Bookings have decreased each of the past five years. In 2005, police booked 9,504 people.

“The courts are doing a good job with alternative programs, and the probation department does a great job,” Sheriff Paul Bailey told the Berrien County commissioners during committee meetings Thursday, explaining the reason for the decrease.

He also said the reduction in police officers on patrol due to budget cuts could have played a factor in the reduced number of bookings.

The number of traffic stops, tickets issued and total arrests all decreased in 2010 as well.

Also included in the annual report were medical expense statistics. In 2010, the department spent about $100,000 more than the previous year on medical expenses for inmates. The main reason for the increase has been the need to bring in outside specialists.

“We have people with more serious issues that we can’t handle,” Bailey said. “It’s very expensive for us.”

The narcotics unit last year investigated 1,225 incidents, resulting in 307 arrests. Marijuana and crack cocaine are the “drug of choice,” according to the report, but methamphetamine is on the rise with 19 meth labs dismantled last year.

The records bureau issued 2,168 permits to purchase handguns in 2010, an increase of 11 percent from the previous year. A total of 1,920 individual handgun purchases were made — a 12.5 percent increase from 2009.