DeLand police outline 24-officer shortfall over four years, urge retention pay and benefits

Police Chief presented the DeLand Police Department's fiscal 2025–26 budget and staffing analysis at the City of DeLand's budget workshop, saying the department is performing well but is understaffed for the workload it now carries.

The chief told the City Commission the department currently has 67 sworn officers and 76 budgeted positions; a workload-based staffing study the chief commissioned indicates the department needs about 100 officers to meet demand. “Our patrol division requires 51 police officers; we currently have 33,” the chief said. He recommended a phased increase that would add about 24 officers over the next four years if hiring and retention stay on target.

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff said retention, not only recruitment, drives the shortfall; the department loses officers to neighboring agencies that offer higher pay, paid health care and larger sign‑on bonuses. City Manager Michael Ployce told the commission staff has costed several retention options and presented a preliminary aggregate figure of about $700,000 for a package of recruitment and retention measures, but said any specific changes will have to be negotiated with the police union.

Key details - Current sworn officers: 67 on the street; 76 positions are budgeted. Five candidates are scheduled for an academy class that would increase the roster if they complete training and probation. - Staffing gap: The chief said a workload-based analysis found a shortfall of roughly 24 officers; a per-capita comparison would imply up to 108 officers to reach the state average, but the chief recommended the workload-based target of about 100 officers. - Turnover: The chief said the department hired 127 officers from 2015–2025 and experienced 114 separations in the same period, with at least 26 leaving for other agencies. He described a challenging applicant-to-hire rate (roughly one qualified hire per 9–10 applicants) and noted 56% of current officers have less than five years' experience. - Use of force and contacts: “We have almost 80,000 contacts with citizens a year,” the chief said; he said those contacts produced 1,194 arrests (1.55% of contacts) and that 98.5% of arrests involved no resistance. - Costs and proposed pay/benefits: The chief and City Manager cited options including more competitive health care, retention bonuses, career-progression pay, post-retirement medical enhancements and performance incentives. City Manager Michael Ployce said staff has costed the line items and arrived at the approximately $700,000 estimate but emphasized that any final package will require union negotiations. - Grants and timing: The city is applying for a U.S. Department of Justice COPS Hiring Program grant; the budget includes placeholder funding for six officers tied to that grant. The chief warned that hiring capacity and academy/class throughput limit how quickly new hires can be absorbed. - Overtime: The chief said the department paid about $846,000 in overtime in 2024 and noted overtime is a partial substitute for hiring but not a long-term solution because of fatigue and retention impacts.

Commission response and next steps Commissioners pressed for more dollar-level detail for individual options and expressed support for pursuing retention measures. Commissioner Piva and others pointed to regional comparisons showing DeLand below the county and state averages for officers per 1,000 residents. City Manager Ployce and the Police Chief said staff will (a) continue recruitment, (b) pursue the COPS grant, and (c) open formal negotiations with the union to determine which retention tools can be implemented and at what cost.

No formal action or vote was taken; commissioners asked staff for cost breakdowns of proposed options and for follow-up once negotiations with the union provide clearer options.

Ending Staff will return with line‑item cost estimates and the results of initial union discussions; the COPS grant application remains pending and will affect how many positions the city can place in the near term.