EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office has a proud history of continuous service to the citizens of Deltona dating back to the very formation of the community in the 1960s. It has been a distinct honor for the Sheriff’s Office to have continued this tradition of service to Deltona since the City’s incorporation on December 31, 1996. As the City’s population and calls for service grew in the years that followed incorporation, the Sheriff’s Office’s Deltona law enforcement component evolved into a highly effective and efficient, full-service municipal public safety force that now serves a population in excess of 86,000. This would not have been possible without the full collaboration and support of County Government as well as Deltona Mayors, City Commissions and City Managers, both past and present. Their vision, contributions and dedication of resources have been invaluable in helping the Sheriff’s Office meet Deltona’s public safety needs and are gratefully acknowledged.

 Deltona has now reached a critical crossroad, as the community considers how best to continue providing for the safety and protection of its citizens. An understanding of the cost and scope of services that the City presently receives from the Sheriff’s Office is central to any decision regarding the future of law enforcement in Deltona. Comparing Deltona’s law enforcement budget, manpower allocation and crime rate with other cities of similar size and population also yields important information that can aid in the study of service-delivery options. The pages that follow this summary contain the results of many hours of research and analysis. It is our sincere hope that the data will assist the community in conducting a thorough and unbiased discussion that will result in a fully-informed decision that serves the long-term best interests of the City and its residents.  

The City currently pays $9,205,672 annually to contract with the Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services. The contract funds 80 employees – 77 sworn and 3 civilian support staff. In addition to routine patrol, the Sheriff’s Office provides additional specialized law enforcement functions under the contract that are housed in and dedicated to Deltona, including: 

 

Also, as a contract City, Deltona receives the benefit of having priority access to all of the Sheriff’s Office’s additional resources and specialized units at no extra cost, including:

 

While not the only consideration, the cost to taxpayers for law enforcement services certainly is a critical factor in determining the best and most appropriate method of providing for the public safety of citizens. The results of this research study show that the annual operating budget for law enforcement agencies that police cities of similar size and population to Deltona routinely run between $22 million-$31 million. That compares to the $9,205,672 contract for the City of Deltona.

 City                              LE Budget             Population

Deltona (VCSO)              $9.2 million              86,540

Titusville PD                   $9.9 million              44,526

Palm Bay PD               $22.5 million             101,793

Daytona Beach PD       $29.3 million               64,370

Davie PD                      $30.0 million               84,057

Boca Raton PD             $30.9 million               85,488

Plantation                     $31.3 million               85,349

 

A major reason for the cost differential is due to the fact that Deltona receives a wide range of ancillary law enforcement support services provided at no additional cost to the City. As you will see in the research study, a large compliment of civilian support staff is needed to perform a myriad of functions that are required of all law enforcement agencies. In Deltona’s case, the civilian support staff component of the contract is extremely minimal because those core civilian functions are already being provided by the Sheriff’s Office and therefore the extra costs are not built into the City’s contract. The statistics on the next page illustrate this fact.

City                              Sworn Personnel            Civilian LE Personnel

Deltona (VCSO)                        77                                 3

DeLand PD                              66                                19

Titusville PD                             88                                47

 

While the green uniforms and patrol vehicles are perhaps the most visible aspect of the Sheriff’s Office’s public safety services in Deltona, the City by virtue of its contract receives a wide range of behind-the-scenes support services that come under the Sheriff’s Office umbrella. These are services that are of critical importance to the smooth, efficient and effective operation of any professional law enforcement agency. They include the following:

 

In addition to cost, quality obviously is yet another critical factor in evaluating law enforcement services and determining the best and most appropriate method of providing for the public safety of citizens. In the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, you get a nationally-accredited agency that recently earned the highest designation as a “flagship agency” from the independent, national law enforcement accrediting body, CALEA. You also get a highly-professional, well-trained and well-equipped force that comes with an agency with the size and professionalism of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. 

The crime rate, as measured in the annual FDLE UCR crime reports, is also a good measure of the quality of a community’s law enforcement services. The research contained in this report shows that Deltona’s crime rate during calendar year 2007 was the fourth lowest in Volusia County. The data below shows how Deltona’s crime rate in 2007 stacked up against other cities in Florida of similar size/population: 

City                                Index Crime Rate            Population

Deltona                                    2,820                          86,540

Palm Bay                               3,364.7                        101,793

Ormond Beach                        3,382.9                         40,941

Davie                                      4,254.6                         93,428

Boca Raton                             4,310                            85,296

Titusville                                  4,866.8                         44,526

Plantation                                5,208                            85,349

DeLand                                    5,980.3                        26,905

Lakeland                                  6,392.1                        93,428

Daytona Beach                         8,816.2                        64,370

 

Finally, you will find an historical analysis in the research report of Deltona’s crime rate between 1999-2007. The analysis shows that during that 9-year period: 

 In these times of budget cuts, revenue rollbacks and fiscal austerity, it’s prudent for government at all levels to re-examine the cost and method of delivering services to the public. In that regard, the present discussion concerning law enforcement services in Deltona is a healthy process for the community to undertake. And as the process moves forward, it is our hope that the public discourse will be rooted in facts and reasoned debate. This is a decision that is far too important to be left to emotion and conjecture.