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Sarasota County Sheriff's Office will have interviewed as potential hires 30 people already certified as Florida law enforcement officers. Many of them have military experi- ence, too, he said. Generally, a higher percentage of the Sheriff's Office's employees have college degrees, he continued. Additionally, thanks to the workforce study Carl Hawkins undertook at Knight's request in 2013, Hoffman pointed out, Knight and his staff also understand that the "Millennials" — people coming of employment age in this century — "are a different group to work with. They appreciate that we have leader- ship mentoring," as well as a succession plan. (Hawkins retired after 35 years with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Knight explained to the County Commission last summer, when Hawkins presented findings of his study. Hawkins is an adjunct faculty mem- ber in the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida.) Hoffman noted that because of the extensive process a person goes through to be hired by the Sheriff's Office, retention is a primary concern, "and we believe we've done a pretty good job of that." Moreover, Hoffman said, "This agency is all about accountability, all the way up to the top …" Complaints under review by the Internal Affairs division were "at an all-time low for 2013," he pointed out. "We've retained the peo- ple that we feel do a good job for the Sheriff's Office and the community." Since 2008, he continued, the office also has increased the diversity of its personnel, add- ing more African-American and Hispanic staff. The numbers are not as high as he would like for them to be, he said, but "both categories are climbing each year, and we're proud of that." Hoffman also noted that the last promotional process in the Sheriff's Office involved the largest number of people in almost 10 years, and the group was diverse. At Knight's behest, Hoffman explained, the office undertakes a biennial salary and bene- fits survey of its sworn and civilian personnel as well as an internal review of pay grades, assignments and responsibilities. Part of the latter process includes a determination of individuals' abilities to handle more or less work than their current roles call for and whether they are capable of moving to other positions in the office. "Lastly," Hoffman said, "our liability is decreasing," a fact he attributed to "an awful lot of training." CHANGES IN DEMAND Expanding on some of Hoffman's comments, Lisa Kiesel, chief financial officer for the Sheriff's Office, explained to the commission- ers that Knight and his staff work to reallocate resources as needed, instead of having to come to the board time and again to address emerging needs. For example, she said, in 2011, to handle the increase in prescription drug crimes, six deputies were shifted to the Pharmaceutical Diversion Unit. If the office had had to hire six new deputies, she pointed out, the cost would have been $741,000. Sarasota News Leader January 31, 2014 Page 45