SHARON SPRINGS ? Sheriff Larry Townsend is so serious about tackling the drug problem in Wallace County that he doubled the size of his force.

“It was pretty simple,” Townsend said. “If this county wants to control drugs and drug traffic, it’s more than a one-man job.”

So Townsend, the county’s only full-time law enforcer, made it two. He hired one of his on-call deputies to serve as undersheriff, a full-time position that begins today.

The two will patrol the county’s 970 square miles, plus provide the only full-time law enforcement — other than a night officer who patrols Sharon Springs — in the county’s three towns.

“In some ways, we look like we are 50 years behind,” Townsend said. “I knew we had a drug problem here, but once I got into it, it was bigger than I thought. Just because this is Wallace County doesn’t mean we don’t have drugs.”

Among the most difficult responsibilities as the rural county’s top law officer is holding friends and relatives accountable for their actions when they run afoul of the law.

“I’ve got a lot of family here, and I’ve busted them, too,” Townsend said. “Knowing people is an advantage, though, because you know them and can settle situations.”

Or pull together a posse, like he did a few years ago to conduct a manhunt. Or help a stranded motorist who has nowhere else to turn. Or recognize when someone’s up to no good.

“If you walk like a duck and talk like a duck and hang out with other ducks, we will assume you are a duck,” Townsend said. “And in Wallace County, duck season is open.”