PFM consultants on Monday described a workload-based approach to measuring detective time and staffing needs for the Montgomery County Police Departments Investigative Services Bureau and said a final report would be delivered in about 30 to 45 days.

The study team, led in remarks by Seth Williams of PFM, told the Public Safety Committee the countys investigative workload is harder to quantify than patrol because there is no CAD-style, continuous time-stamped record of detective activity. "In 2020, the department sworn vacancy rate was less than 1%. Today, it has risen to roughly 15%." Williams said, adding that detective functions often include intermittent work on many cases and ancillary duties that RMS alone does not capture.

Why it matters: investigators handle complex evidence, digital downloads and follow-up that can consume substantial time; capturing that work in a consistent way is important to set staffing levels, allocate supervision and help prosecutors receive complete case files.

What PFM did: consultants described a three-part data collection and modeling approach: (1) confidential 60-day logbooks for a subset of detectives to record task-level time, (2) a bureau-wide survey of detectives, supervisors and civilian staff, and (3) roundtable interviews and on-site observations. PFM reported roughly 200 sworn staff on the roster for ISB, 176 survey responses, and 55 logbooks used as detailed inputs to a workload model; the model was then calibrated by subject-matter expertise.

Preliminary findings and limitations: PFM said existing RMS and case-management systems are used inconsistently and do not reliably capture all investigative work. Consultants emphasized that the draft is a discussion document intended to surface questions and refine inputs; they said work remains to reconcile department records with consultant sampling and to run updated inputs. PFM requested time to finalize its draft and noted the county had funded an ISB study with $160,000 in FY25 but that amount was not sufficient for a full department-wide staffing study.

Timeline and next steps: PFM said the draft report is in circulation with the department for review and that, after incorporating department feedback and updated inputs, it expects to deliver a final report in 30 to 45 days for a late-January or early-February presentation to the committee.

Caveats and department notes: department leaders and the PFM team agreed that perfect data are not available for investigative work and that the model is intended to be iterative: as case-management and RMS usage improve, assumptions and workload inputs can be updated. Assistant chiefs and PFM also warned that new technologies (digital evidence aggregation, drone programs, expanded e-discovery) increase investigative workload even as they create operational efficiencies.

What officials want to see from the final report: council members asked that the final document include clear footnotes on data caveats, an explanation of which inputs produced specific recommendations, and a defensible basis for any staffing or operational recommendations presented to policy makers.

Ending: PFM thanked the department and the FOP for cooperation; the committee agreed to a follow-up presentation once the final ISB report is complete.