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Pasco Sheriff's Office Reorganization Before and After
Beginning in December 2008, Pasco Sheriff Bob White directed a reorganization of the agency due to a continuing budgetary shortfall. The focus of the changes were twofold. To increase the number of deputies who are on the street to fight crime, and to lessen the impact of decreased
funding that is expected to continue. Local
legislators representing Pasco County are in agreement that during challenging
economic times, the organizations that are burdened the most are law enforcement
and the court system. In total,
Sheriff’s White’s reorganization efforts reallocated at least an estimated
$750,000, most redistributed to increase front-line law enforcement.
In addition, Sheriff White has returned to the county $1.86
million in the voter-approved Penny for Pasco funds, reducing the amount that
will be used to purchase new, marked patrol cars in the coming budget year. Also, more than $183,000 is expected to be saved in labor costs for the
hiring of new detention deputies for an addition to the Land O’ Lakes
Detention Center. These savings are due to lower labor costs for the new
deputies because of construction delays in the scheduled opening date of the
addition and from the Sheriff’s Office’s Human Resource Unit hiring
experienced deputies who do not need expensive training that rookie deputies
must undergo.
Savings and/or Reallocations for Road Patrol Deputy Positions:
1. Reorganization of unit positions: $750,000
2. Penny for Pasco funds returned to county: $1.86 million
3. Land O' Lakes Detention Center addition: $183,000
Total: $2,793,000
The following chart detail the reorganization efforts:
Pre - Reorganization |
Post - Reorganization |
| 1. No
funding for new deputy positions in two years
|
34 additional deputies on the road
|
| 2. Fewer
sergeants, larger squads
|
10 more sergeants, 13 more corporals mean
smaller squads with smaller span of control
|
| 3. Accreditation
office with 2 positions
|
Two positions eliminated; one position
reassigned as sergeant to road, one to Communications
|
| 4. Four
accreditations held
|
Three accreditations eliminated, $15,000
savings
|
| 5. Aviation
Unit
|
Unit disbanded, 5 positions eliminated, sent
to patrol, $600,000 reallocated
|
| 6. Agricultural
sergeant position
|
Agricultural Sergeant eliminated, sent to
patrol
|
| 7. Organizational
development director
|
Organizational development director position
eliminated, position sent to patrol as a sergeant, duties assigned to
Sheriff’s executive assistant |
| 8. Command
staff training
|
Out-of-county command staff training
suspended, estimated $10,000 savings
|
| 9. Three
senior captains
|
Three senior captains retired, two junior
replacements: $16,000 savings
|
| 10. Two
full-time attorneys; multiple law library subscriptions; contract with outside
counsel
|
One full-time attorney eliminated; law library
subscriptions cancelled; outside counsel re-shopped; estimated $40,000 yearly
savings
|
| 11. Cell
phone provider contract
|
Re-shopped cell phone contract: $60,000
savings
|
| 12. STEP
and Motor units separate
|
STEP and Motor units combined under one
sergeant, additional sergeant sent to patrol
|
| 13. Community
Policing Unit and STOP Unit
|
Deputies from units sent to patrol; entire
patrol now responsible for community policing and street crime mission
|
| 14. Volunteers
in Policing Service
|
Aggressive expansion of Volunteers in Policing
Service; 425 volunteers now utilized in agency
|
| 15. Community
Security Patrol
|
Expanding and unifying community Security
Patrol command structure and training
|
| 16. Training Unit
|
One civilian position moved to Communications
Unit to answer incoming calls for service
|
| 17. Pagers
|
Reduced the number of pagers used by agency
members; current savings about $5,000 yearly
|
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