Carroll Norwood is angry.

Angry that someone broke into his home south of Cave Junction in December and made off with a 6-foot safe containing 22 guns.

Angry that the cops have done too little.

Angry enough to offer a $1,000 reward.

Posters are hanging around town. Online postings showing a picture of the maroon-colored safe have been made. And Norwood, who lives in the 29300 block of the Redwood Highway, is speaking up.

“They rolled the safe out of here,” he said Monday. “It had to be a couple of people. This safe was heavy. They put it on a dolly of some sort. They pulled a pickup right up to my deck. It had to be some kind of pickup.

“These guys were ballsy. They did it during the day.”

It had taken three delivery men to get the safe in the house in the first place.

Insurance will cover some of the loss, but some of the guns had sentimental value beyond money, Norwood said.

One is a real collector’s item, a Winchester Model 70, the pre-1964 version, that once belonged to a friend.

Also gone is a Browning 12-gauge shotgun that belonged to his brother.

It contains an ounce of gold, including a gold trigger, and engravings. He also had an M1 Garand.

In all, 14 rifles, three pistols and five shotguns were taken, along with more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

Norwood said he has some leads, and Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilbertson said he’s working the case. But, Norwood isn’t too happy with law enforcement.

“Our illustrious sheriff’s department, they would not even respond,” he said.

Instead, Norwood was directed to fill out a form. Unfortunately for Norwood, all the paperwork on his guns Ñ including pictures and serial numbers Ñ were in the safe.

Oregon State Police came out, for a few minutes.

“They asked for descriptions and serial numbers,” Norwood said. “They said, ‘There ain’t nothing we can do.’ They left, too.

“The lack of concern is what’s killing me.”

In response, Gilbertson said he was down to one patrol deputy, Sgt. Ray Webb. A second patrol deputy currently out with an injury.

“Ray is it,” he said this morning. “I have absolutely no detectives.”

The county has three other patrol deputies, but they are on contract with outside agencies to patrol Cave Junction, federal forests and rivers. The agencies that contract them pay their salaries.

Gilbertson said he’s asked county commissioners for permission to hire another patrol deputy.

“We’re not doing property crimes,” he said. “We’re taking the information, but that’s what we can do at this point. We’re trying to keep up with person crimes, crimes against people.

“We’re kind of with our backs to the wall.”

Due to budget cuts in 2012, sheriff’s patrol deputies are on duty only 40 hours a week.

State troopers fill in, but have been limiting their response to life-threatening calls for service.

Most of the current Sheriff’s Office staff work in the county jail. The department’s patrol division includes two patrol deputies and three contract deputies hired to patrol Cave Junction, rivers and federal forests.

“OSP does not respond to all calls for service in our county,” Gilbertson said. “Many calls for service do not meet their response protocol.”

Meanwhile, Norwood is at a bit of a loss.

“I moved here in ’98,” he said. “People just know me. I do a lot of fishing, a lot of hunting. Don’t do so much hunting now.”

Norwood says he’ll pay the reward for information leading to the recovery of the guns or the arrest of those responsible for their theft. He can be reached at 541-592-4285.