The five-yr "test" of the usage of an independent police force at the county's three airports is coming to an conclusion.
Citing worker turnover and different matters, the County fee on Jan. 3 accredited re-setting up an airport protection contract with the Okaloosa County Sheriff's office by using March 31. The request comes from county Airports Director Tracy Stage, who plans to present a proposed contract to the commission at its Jan. 17 assembly. it's unclear even if the anticipated agreement with the Sheriff's workplace will charge greater than the existing security capabilities association.
County Administrator John Hofstad on Monday pointed out the latest airport police drive has been operating on a month-to-month basis. The long-time period contract with the sheriff's office wasn't renewed in 2011 when the Airports branch, directed by means of Greg Donovan, decided it will be greater charge effective to have its personal police department.
The problem of protection charges came up again final 12 months, despite the fact, when officers have been negotiating contract renewals with the airways on the county's quickly-growing to be Destin-castle Walton seashore Airport. Stage mentioned last fall that the airlines questioned the $1.33 cost per passenger to fund the Airports Police department.
Hofstad on Monday noted it's no longer customary yet even if the cost will conclusion as soon as the sheriff's office takes over.
"It's variety of premature (to say for certain) as we determine the details," he observed. "The sheriff's office has been attempting to examine what the authentic expenses are and whether it'll examine that payment, as far as what it's going to take to supply security going ahead."
As of last October – in keeping with the most recent data accessible – the total annual can charge of proposing safety to the six airline tenants at Destin-castle Walton beach Airport totaled $460,623. The county's common, fiscal 2017 airport security price range totals practically $805,000.
In 2011 – the final year of the Sheriff's workplace's old, 14-year airports safety contract – the agency's average cost of offering safety at the three airports totaled $1.02 million. In June of that year, Sheriff Larry Ashley had notified airport officials of a proposed 30 percent, or $310,353 soar, in its contract expenses.
Stage observed he failed to wish to remark yet on the proposed can charge of the sheriff's workplace taking up the safety capabilities.
"nobody's trying to cut corners when it comes to protection. simply examine what happened Friday," he mentioned, relating to the taking pictures deaths of 5 americans on the castle Lauderdale-Hollywood foreign Airport.
Stage pointed out safety "is your No. 1 precedence."
looking for steadiness
at the Jan. 3 commission assembly, OCSO Undersheriff Steve Harker spoke of the company is ready to resume providing the safety capabilities for the county's airports.
also all over the assembly, commission vp Graham Fountain in short spoke of how the sheriff's workplace has a SWAT team, okay-9s and other supplies to take care of competencies threats to the airports. He spoke of the previous five years of applying the Airports Police branch changed into an "experiment" that didn't determine.
County officials also mentioned that employee turnover in the APD has been a massive problem.
"We're on our third police chief due to the fact that we stood that police force up," Hofstad talked about on Monday, whereas noting that many different officers have left the department in contemporary years for stronger-paying jobs and because of other reasons.
at the Jan. three meeting, Stage observed the department's employees have done "a great job with the elements they have got."
but he also stated that the present chief these days introduced that he'll be retiring quickly. based on Stage, the APD has six full-time officers and 4 half-time aid officers. over the last five years, nine officers have left the job after having served for under 11 months of time, he noted.
Hofstad on Monday talked about the county has not been very aggressive when it involves paying its legislations-enforcement officers at the airports.
"It's been complicated to appeal to them and hard to keep them," he mentioned.
because the sheriff's office prepares to renew offering airport security, county officers will make every effort to accommodate the existing APD personnel, Hofstad said.
"The sheriff has made it very clear that provided that our latest personnel meet his requirements, they're welcome to follow and work for him," Hofstad observed.
He mentioned while the APD officers at present report to Stage. Any who are employed with the aid of the sheriff's office would report to Ashley.
"We don't wish to put off any one," Harker noted at the Jan. 3 assembly. "indeed, there's variety of a pandemic happening throughout the nation in this is, legislation enforcement is having a very hard time keeping americans employed.
"There's been a lot of rumors that there can be a mass firing," Harker introduced. "but that's now not the case."
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