Agency personnel handled nearly twice as many vehicle crashes in 2024, compared to total for 2023
In 2024, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office issued 27,695 traffic citations, it notes in its annual report for that year, which was released this week. The figure marks a year-over-year increase of nearly 6%, with the agency having issued 26,168 citations in 2023.
As Sarasota County commissioners continue to point out, the population of the county keeps climbing. A slide that county staff prepared for the board’s May 21 budget workshop noted that the county’s population in 2023 was 464,223; for 2024, the count was 479,027, which represented an uptick of almost 3.2%.
The 2024 Sheriff’s Office Annual Report also notes that officers handled 7,143 vehicle crashes last year, more than twice the total for 2023, which was 3,144.
During his annual budget presentations over the past several years, Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman has discussed the fact that his agency has had to handle more and more traffic crashes. When he and his senior staff addressed the commissioners in June 2024, Col. Brian Woodring, the chief deputy, pointed out, “Right now, we work approximately 80% of all traffic crashes in the unincorporated areas of Sarasota County.”
A slide the Sheriff’s Office group presented to the board that day showed that the number of traffic crashes countywide in 2023 was 8,022, which was approximately 3% higher than the 2021 number: 7,784.
The number of sworn law enforcement deputies serving with the Sheriff’s Office in 2024 was 508, a chart in the 2024 Annual Report says. The number of sworn Corrections Division deputies was 221, it adds, while the civilian member count was 375.
The slide also notes that 35% of the personnel were female; county demographics put the number of female residents at 52%, the slide says.
In 2023, the number of sworn law enforcement deputies was 486; Corrections Division deputies totaled 210; and the number of civilian members was 365. Thus, the number of sworn officers in 2024 was up about 4.5%, compared to the 2023 figure.
For the current fiscal year — which began on Oct. 1, 2024 — the County Commission approved Sheriff Hoffman’s request to add 39 employees, 28 of whom would be sworn officers. Of the latter, Hoffman talked of the need for 12 patrol deputies, so a fifth Patrol Division could be created.
The goal, Hoffman and Col. Woodring explained, was to reduce deputies’ response time for calls. Another slide in their presentation to the commissioners that day showed that the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office response time for non-priority calls for the day shift was more than 10 minutes; for non-priority nighttime calls, it was more than 7 minutes.
In contrast, Woodring pointed out, the national response time was 5 to 7 minutes.
A chart in the 2024 report regarding the work of the Patrol Bureau notes that its officers received 118,789 calls for service; that figure was up 1.3% from the total in 2023.
The breakdown in types of crimes involving persons and property was as follows:
Among other data in the 2024 report, it notes that the Investigations Bureau was assigned 3,358 cases, and it cleared 2,439 of them. That bureau also handled 1,372 fraud-related cases, with $14,921,665.98 reported in losses to fraud.
Moreover, the chart says, that bureau seized $974,135.51 in cryptocurrency.
Further, the chart shows that the Drug Lab received 3,334 submissions in 2024, with 25 different types of drugs identified. Of those cases, the largest total — 955 — were for the Sarasota Police Department. The North Port Police Department had the second highest figure: 483.
The Investigations Bureau’s Victim Assistance Unit in 2024 provided aid to 1,058 victims, the chart also points out. Of those victims, 843 were involved in cases the Sheriff’s Office handled.
In regard to the Emergency Operations Bureau in 2024, the annual report shows that the 121 employees handled 265,267 emergency calls, which was down approximately 11%, compared to the 2023 figure of 298,717.
That bureau also fielded 402,509 administrative calls, the chart says.
Among other data in the report are the following:
- The Aviation Unit fielded 1,560 calls for service, provided 250 assists to other agencies, recorded 531 hours of flight time (284.9 at night; 246.1 in the daytime), and dropped 6,600 gallons of water during fire suppression incidents.
- The Homeless Outreach Team made 382 new contacts, followed up on 912 cases and found beds for 232 clients.
- The Animal Services Division reported that 226 animals were adopted; 764 were returned to their owners; and 2,477 citations were issued.
- The SWAT Team, with 28 members, had 31 deployments and executed 12 search warrants.
- The Hostage Negotiation team, with eight members, had five calls for aid and participated in 122 hours of training.
- The Mounted Patrol received 831 calls for service and made 11 arrests.
- The K9 Unit recorded 990 “sniffs,” the graphic says, with 72 individuals located.
- The Marine Unit, which has six vessels — ranging from 16 feet to 34 feet — issued 414 warnings, performed 329 safety checks and received 121 calls for service.
A chart with data about the Court Services Bureau shows that its deputies recovered 4,285 weapons from court security checkpoints, transported 5,789 inmates to and from court appearances, made 411 courthouse arrests, and handled 329,590 visitors to the courthouses.
Yet another chart notes that agency personnel drove 6.7 million miles in 2024, using 446,000 gallons of fuel. The Sheriff’s Office had 812 vehicles and 114 pieces of specialty equipment, that chart says.
In the report, Sheriff Hoffman said, “Each year brings its own challenges.” He added, “In Sarasota County, the changes are substantial and rapid. The annual report is where we see what we did well and where we have room for improvement and evaluation — and being better is always the goal.”