Presentation on the Management and Staffing Study of the Sheriff’s Office

Orange County, Florida

February 20, 2007

Project Scope of Work

To provide the County and the Sheriff’s Office with an objective understanding of current operations, services and staffing levels within each function.

To identify current staffing needs based on appropriate service levels and workloads.

To identify opportunities to adjust approaches to managing resources (e.g., deployment, civilianization, technology, etc.) which impact service delivery and resource needs.

To provide a management tool for use by the County and the Sheriff’s Office in the short and long term to target service level choices and their impacts on staffing needs.

Project Methodology

Interviewed over 200 Sheriff’s Office managers, supervisors and line staff to obtain an understanding of operations, organization, management, service levels, etc.

Supplemented interviews with an anonymous employee survey.

Collected comprehensive data for each Sheriff’s Office function while interviews were being conducted.

Compared the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to ‘best practices’ as well as to other large law enforcement agencies.

Throughout the study process met extensively with the Sheriff and his staff as well as with the County.

Key Themes in the Final Report

Orange County has fallen behind the growth in law enforcement workloads and the ability to be proactive in field services.

There are many opportunities for civilianization in field services as well as investigations.

There are also several management positions in administrative areas which should also be civilianized.

Several proactive field and investigative functions need to develop more of a ‘results oriented’ focus.

The OCSO should be reorganized to better group related functions and to better utilize top management staff.

Positive Attributes of the OCSO The OCSO has a tradition of excellence in providing law enforcement

services to Orange County. A few examples include:

The schedule and deployment of field staff is efficient and effective.

Many special proactive field units generate measurable results.

Investigations works closely with regional, state and federal agencies.

OCSO staff are well trained.

Many administrative functions conform to ‘best practices’.

The OCSO has been innovative in the creation of homeland security programs.

There are many programs dedicated to youth in the County.

The OCSO has focused on preventive maintenance of infrastructure.

These management and operational attributes of the OCSO have been externally recognized in national and state accreditations.

Uniform Services Bureau:Findings and Recommendations

Overall proactive time is 35% in Orange County, below the target which would make them effective.

During some hours in some sectors, proactivity falls below 20%.

Excluding the special case of Sector 6 (Disney and contract areas) average proactivity for the County is only about 32%.

Sector Average Proactivity High Hours Low Hours

1 38% 61% 23%

2 21% 45% 5%

3 40% 65% 18%

4 19% 45% (7%)

5 54% 60% 32%

Overall 35% 55% 16%

Uniform Services Bureau:Findings and Recommendations To meet appropriate service level targets would require

additional sworn personnel under the current approach.

However, the current approach should be altered to provide a ‘differential response’ where civilians are used for selected calls.

Rank Current Required Difference

Sergeants 52 63 (11)

Corporals 52 63 (11)

Deputies 419 512 (93)

Rank Current Required Difference

Sergeants 52 63 (11)

Corporals 52 63 (11)

Deputies 419 483 (64)

Field Civilian 0 18 (18)

Uniform Services Bureau:Findings and Recommendations

The County’s approach to staffing the Convention Center using a core of planners with off duty employment for events is typical.

Sector 5 Property Crime Investigators are under-utilized – resources need to be better utilized or re-deployed.

Approaches to providing service in Sector 6 (Disney and contract areas) are appropriate.

Special response teams (e.g., SWAT) are effectively utilized.

The Aviation Unit should record more flight hours and reduce staff by four positions. Orlando should contribute more to this service.

Traffic enforcement levels need to be increased regionally and better integrated with other Uniform Services Bureau operations.

Court Services is understaffed for current and planned court facilities.

Investigations Services Bureau:Findings and Recommendations

Analysis of caseloads shows that staffing levels in CID have fallen below effectiveness targets in several key areas:

Major Crimes Staff Adjustments General Assignment Staff Adjustments

Person Crimes Unit +3 Auto Theft No change

Homicide Unit No change Robbery +2

Child Abuse / MP No change Economic Crimes No change

Domestic Violence No change Property Crimes No change

Sex Crimes No change Computer Crimes +1

All investigative units should have civilian staff to assist detectives in research and other tasks.

Forensics should be largely civilianized.

Case management approaches need to be strengthened.

Investigations Services Bureau:Findings and Recommendations

Special Investigative units are appropriately staffed for the mission targeted but need to measure results better.

Intelligence units are appropriately staffed for the mission targeted but need to measure results better.

The Intelligence and Special Investigations Divisions should be merged, eliminating a Captain’s position.

Technical Services Bureau:Findings and Recommendations

Several management positions in Human Resources should be civilianized – Director, Assistant Director and Off Duty Manager.

The OCSO needs to better use HR information in its database and share it with operational units.

There are several opportunities for the OCSO to streamline recruitments (e.g., on line applications).

Additional staff resources may also be required for recruitments and other HR functions (e.g., labor relations).

There are other human resource programs which should be implemented (e.g., workforce planning, safety).

Technical Services Bureau:Findings and Recommendations

Two management positions in Information Technology should be civilianized (e.g., a Captain and a Sergeant).

The OCSO needs to develop a disaster recovery program.

User training and support needs to be enhanced.

Additional civilian programmer / network staff resources are also be required given the size and complexity of the organization.

Technical Services Bureau:Findings and Recommendations

Records and Identification need to develop a cost recovery strategy and better recover costs to the extent allowable by Florida statutes.

Records and Identification staffing is adequate, though part time temporary help should be used to address print card backlogs.

The radio system needs equipment enhancements.

Communications staff schedules should be changed to better match workload fluctuations.

Communications staffing levels are adequate.

Administrative Services Bureau:Findings and Recommendations

Community Relations and Community Policing programs should be merged and better coordinated resulting in the elimination of a Captain and other positions through attrition.

Several changes should be made in the OCSO’s approach to budgeting – use of a program budget, better interface with the County.

Civilianize the management of the Fleet and Facilities Division.

Fleet needs 8 additional mechanics and an additional supervisor. With this, fleet should in-source all preventive maintenance.

There are opportunities to reduce the size of the fleet.

Administrative Services Bureau:Findings and Recommendations

Training records need to be improved.

Training staffing levels need to be increased (by filling vacant positions and authorizing a new one).

Additional management training should be required in the OCSO.

Organization of the OCSO:Findings and Recommendations

The overall organizational structure of the OCSO should be changed including the following:

Placing Professional Standards, Accreditation, Legal, Media Relations and Research & Development directly under the Sheriff / Undersheriff.

Training should be organized in the Human Resources Division.

Community Relations and Community Policing Divisions should be merged.

Special Operations and Intelligence Divisions should be merged.

Technical Services and Administrative Support Bureaus should be merged.

These changes would result in one fewer Bureau Chief and other management positions.

These changes would result in important functions having direct oversight of the Sheriff / Undersheriff and improved coordination of critical as well as related functions.

The Cost of Recommendations (1)

Orange County needs to invest greater resources into law enforcement to address growth and the need to proactively address a wide variety of issues. Principal needs include:

Additional resources in field services – at a cost of $6.5 million per year plus $2.4 million in new vehicles. Use of civilians in the field reduces needs to this level by over $1 million per year.

Court services needs to staff new courtrooms – at a cost of $766,000 per year (though civilianization could reduce this).

Additional Civil Process staff, even with greater use of alternative forms of service delivery – at a cost of $255,000 per year.

Additional Detectives – at a cost of $319,000; additional detective civilian support staff at a cost of $693,000 per year.

Additional mechanic staff are required to adequately maintain and repair the OCSO’s fleet.

The Cost of Recommendations (2)

There are also many areas in which current resources exceed needs or can be changed in some way. Principal areas include:

Changing the way in which Aviation operates, generating a net reduction of $112,000 per year, plus obtaining support from Orlando for the services provided to the City.

Reducing the number of DUI Technicians, saving about $147,000 per year.

Merging of proactive investigations efforts, reducing costs by $115,000 per year.

Elimination of the Assistant Director in IMS, reducing costs by $94,000 per year.

Reducing management in volunteer services, saving about $209,000 per year.

Eliminating the Sergeant’s position in facility maintenance, saving about $81,000 per year.

Reorganizing the OCSO eliminating several management positions, saving an estimated $408,000 per year.

Position reductions could be accomplished through attrition in limited time.

The net impact of these changes is between $8.0 – $8.8 million per year.