Y'all See This?

County Growth Tests Sheriff
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 8, 2007

TAMPA - Sheriff David Gee didn't build the new roads, courtrooms and schools that cropped up across Hillsborough County in the past five years, but one way or another they all become his concern.

Policing streets and courts and making sure there are enough school crossing guards are key parts of Gee's job as the county's top law enforcement official. So too is maintaining a jail system that has 10,000 more people passing through its doors than five years ago.

It only stands to reason that as Hillsborough County grows, so grows the sheriff's office.

But Gee's budget increases over the past five years far exceed the county's population growth. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Hillsborough's unincorporated population has grown by 14 percent since 2002; the sheriff's budget has increased 56 percent over that period. The rate of inflation is 15 percent over the same span.

The agency's budget is now nearly $350 million, compared with $224 million in 2002.

During that same period, the sheriff - already one of the county's largest employers - has added 350 full-time positions to his roster, swelling his work force to nearly 3,400.

Sheriff's officials say the increases are being driven by the county's explosive growth, along with rising fuel and health insurance costs and rising pension costs for retiring employees.

'Every time you add something, whether it's a courtroom or a school,' Col. Carl Hawkins said, 'there's a cost to it.'

As the largest recipient of property tax revenue annually, the sheriff's budget looms large over discussions about how to trim millions from the county's budget in the wake of property tax reform.

Gee, who as an elected constitutional officer enjoys special protection for his budget, has offered to help. He has cut his budget request for next year by $10 million.

In a letter sent to county commissioners May 29, Gee noted that he requested only a 3.3 percent budget increase next year - the smallest increase his agency has sought in 15 years.

The smaller budget request means that the sheriff's office won't hire additional detention deputies, bailiffs or civilian workers, Gee wrote to county commissioners. The planned opening of a new jail wing is on hold.

Elected in 2004, Gee enjoys a good relationship with the board, which reviews his budget but has little latitude to change it.

Commissioners could reject his budget, setting up a showdown between the board and Gee. The mediator would be Gov. Charlie Crist, who was once the state's top law enforcement official and earned the nickname 'Chain Gang Charlie' for his tough-on-crime stances.

Not that it's likely to get that far. The commission includes a former police officer, Kevin White, and other strong law enforcement boosters.

'I would have a very difficult time, if at all, saying 'no' to him,' Commissioner Rose Ferlita said. 'He has shown he's got a good business plan.'

Gee admits that the explosive growth of his budget sometimes surprises him.

'I see the same numbers and I ask myself, 'Where's that money going?'' he said.

Growth Demands

While the sheriff's patrol duties are restricted to unincorporated parts of Hillsborough County, the agency is responsible for several other countywide services, including security at the Port of Tampa and the courthouse, and the serving of warrants.

It also stations a deputy at every middle and high school in unincorporated areas, a demand that has increased in recent years. Elementary schools require crossing guards, which also are provided by the sheriff's office.

The school district splits the cost of the school resource deputies with the county.

'It's definitely worth the cost,' schools spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said. Those deputies often become mentors to students, helping them with conflict resolution and counseling them on the dangers of crime and joining a gang, she said.

Since 2002, the school district has added nearly 30 schools in unincorporated areas, most of them elementary schools.

Other duties have increased, too. In 2002, deputies were responsible for security inside 52 county and circuit courtrooms. Next year, the number is expected to increase to 61.

The jail, too, has seen a dramatic increase in its numbers. In 2002, nearly 64,000 people were arrested and processed by the sheriff's office. This year, jail officials expect the number to climb to more than 73,700.

Yet the jail is one of the agency's success stories. Officials have reduced overcrowding by working with judges to sentence convicted felons to state prison rather than to the county jail, and by using technology such as electronic monitoring to reduce the jail population.

On average, it costs $74 a day to house one inmate in the jail.

'You Never Really Catch Up With It'

It is the employee costs, however, that dominate Gee's budget.

Salaries and benefits account for three-quarters of the total.

The agency's payroll, including benefits, has increased immensely in five years, from $56 million in 2002 to an estimated $102 million in next year's budget.

Deputies starting out today are paid $39,100 a year, about $4,500 more than the starting pay five years ago.

They're also being asked to do more, said Col. Gary Terry, who oversees the agency's investigative services division.

Patrol deputies now have to be on the lookout for everything from meth labs to terror threats. Gangs, too, have brought big-city crime to Hillsborough's rural corners, Terry said.

'This is urban law enforcement out in the county,' Terry said. 'It's not rural policing anymore.'

Dealing with 122,000 more people in the county than five years ago fuels the need for more money, sheriff's officials said.

'You never really catch up with it,' said Hawkins, who oversees the agency's administrative services division. 'You respond the best you can.'

Holding The Line

Sheriff's officials like to point to success stories behind the increased spending.

Roughly 28 percent of traffic fatalities in Hillsborough County in 2005 were alcohol-related, down from nearly 40 percent in 2004.

They've also seen a slight improvement in the number of crimes solved or otherwise cleared from their books since 2002.

Even so, Gee said he has some qualms about cutting his budget request for next year.

Several jurisdictions nationwide and in Florida are experiencing an increase in violent crime. He said his agency is trying to stop an uptick in crime by increasing antigang initiatives and making more frequent checks on sex offenders.

Numbers released earlier this year reflect the violent trend. Hillsborough's crime stats show a 7 percent increase in the number of serious crimes reported in 2006 compared with 2005.

Gee recently decreed that sworn personnel assigned to internal affairs or civil functions must conduct patrols once a month.

He noted that some other sheriffs across the state are asking for double-digit budget increases next year, despite the pressure on counties to reduce spending.

'I could have done it, and I would have felt pretty good that the money would be well spent,' he said.

Some of his budget decisions likely will prove unpopular with his employees, Gee said. While he plans to add 63 deputies to his roster this year - and 63 more patrol cars - he won't add more mechanics or support personnel.

Even with the extra deputies, Gee's agency will remain below the national average for the number of law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents.

In 2006, Gee won a compromise with commissioners to pay for enough deputies to raise the ratio to 1.7 deputies per 1,000 residents by the year 2011.

The national average last year was 2.4 officers per 1,000 residents. Hillsborough's ratio dipped in the past five years from 1.66 to 1.58 last year, another testament to the county's rapid growth, officials said.

As a result of that stagnant ratio, the average time it takes for deputies to respond to emergencies remains a little less than nine minutes, about the same as five years ago.

To keep the emergency response time under nine minutes, however, nonemergency calls for nonviolent minor crimes can be delayed; the average nonemergency response surged from 16 minutes in 2002 to an estimated 49 minutes this year.

Sheriffs in Florida often devour a large portion of a county's property tax revenue, said Kurt Wenner, a senior analyst with Florida TaxWatch, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group.

Governments in Florida devote more money to public safety than many other states.

'It's what the people and their elected officials vote for,' Wenner said.

Calls for service between 2002 and 2006 are about the same, do we really need more deputies? I would like to see an assessment as to the man power. Reserve deputies, cpl's sgt's are not working, checkout their work sheets, calls for service, it's a fact. As for the growth more people are moving to the cities, Tampa , Plant City, and Temple Terrace they need more police officers. I would like to get a copy of the HCSO budget and conduct a audit or just put a copy in the Tampa tribune for the people to see so they can ask some questions. The BOCC never checks it out, all they say is Gee's doing a good job we support law enforcement...... Maybe Gee's doing a good job, but I don't think he knows where the money's going. The 12 hour shifts, not good, unhealthy, most deputies never see or spend time with their families and are not in condition. Most want 5 days, 2 days off with an extra day once a month. It should get better, next election.

YES.....................WE NEED MORE DEPUTIES, OR THE ONES WE HAVE NEED TO BE ALLOCATED TO THE BUSY AREAS. Some districts and zones get hammered while the deputies get the same pay for half the work.

YES.....................WE NEED MORE DEPUTIES, OR THE ONES WE HAVE NEED TO BE ALLOCATED TO THE BUSY AREAS. Some districts and zones get hammered while the deputies get the same pay for half the work.

Meaning deputies in the slower areas.

[fltoddy]

"Anonymous wrote:
YES.....................WE NEED MORE DEPUTIES, OR THE ONES WE HAVE NEED TO BE ALLOCATED TO THE BUSY AREAS. Some districts and zones get hammered while the deputies get the same pay for half the work.


Meaning deputies in the slower areas."

So you're saying that Deputies that are assigned to slow zones just sit and wait for a call in their zone? Believe it or not, all of the zones have mutual aid agreements and Deputies are allowed to work calls in other zones. I think Ronald Reagan set that up as part of the NAFTA plan.

I also like the blanket statement "Reserve deputies, cpl's sgt's are not working, checkout their work sheets, calls for service, it's a fact." Really?

Try this one on for size: "You're an idiot, making assertions based on your opinion alone." Now that's a fact.

Here's a link to Sheriff Gee's letter to the county commissioners where he references factual data as to the growth of unincorporated Hillsborough county.

http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/Budget-2006/letter.pdf

I would also encourage you to do the research yourself and calculate the calls for service.

I even have a little proposition for you. Since they're "about the same" between 2002 and 2006, I'll give you a dollar for every CFS in 2002, and you give me a dollar for every CFS in 2006.

You'll help me prove that P.T. Barnum was accurate.

"Anonymous wrote:
YES.....................WE NEED MORE DEPUTIES, OR THE ONES WE HAVE NEED TO BE ALLOCATED TO THE BUSY AREAS. Some districts and zones get hammered while the deputies get the same pay for half the work.


Meaning deputies in the slower areas."

So you're saying that Deputies that are assigned to slow zones just sit and wait for a call in their zone? Believe it or not, all of the zones have mutual aid agreements and Deputies are allowed to work calls in other zones. I think Ronald Reagan set that up as part of the NAFTA plan.

I also like the blanket statement "Reserve deputies, cpl's sgt's are not working, checkout their work sheets, calls for service, it's a fact." Really?

Try this one on for size: "You're an idiot, making assertions based on your opinion alone." Now that's a fact.

Here's a link to Sheriff Gee's letter to the county commissioners where he references factual data as to the growth of unincorporated Hillsborough county.

http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/Budget-2006/letter.pdf

I would also encourage you to do the research yourself and calculate the calls for service.

I even have a little proposition for you. Since they're "about the same" between 2002 and 2006, I'll give you a dollar for every CFS in 2002, and you give me a dollar for every CFS in 2006.

You'll help me prove that P.T. Barnum was accurate.

Sorry I hit a nerve, instead of 2002 it's actually between 2004 and 2006, sorry. The zones need to be rearranged some deputies handle a lot more calls than others. I see it every day, some just don't work. Changes are coming.

[fltoddy]

No problem, I get defensive when people accuse the zone guys of being lazy. I can only vouch for two of the districts, and only the night shift, but in both instances they are stand up individuals who do their fair share of work and pitch in for holding calls even if they're 15-20 out.

Speaking of changes forthcoming, I assume you're referring to the redeployment study that is being done. That should be interesting. Hopefully the consultant drills down to the signal code level as I would argue that 30 221's shouldn't necessarily pull more manpower than 10 violent 380's.

If the consultant is smart enough to better predict call volume then I'll give him a lot of credit. Full moon / government check day theories not withstanding, I've yet to see a reliable pattern. It's like the stock market, there are things that set off changes and predictable reactions to those changes, but nothing that can predict when the originating event will occur.

Just my opinion of course.