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In 2013, calls for service fell 2.53 percent, to 87,838, and the total number of arrests was down 2.11 percent, to 9,822, the report says. The Sheriff's Office continues to show the highest decrease in crime reduction of the 33 Florida counties with populations of 100,000 or more, Knight told the commissioners during their Jan. 14 regular meeting in Venice. Referring to his approximately 1,000 employ- ees, Knight added, "They are probably the best law enforcement workforce I've ever been around in my 20 years [in the profession]." "We're starting to get a reputation as the place to go" for people interested in law enforce- ment careers, Maj. Kurt Hoffman, head of the Administrative Division and general counsel for the Sheriff's Office, pointed out. That is attributable not just to salaries and benefits, Hoffman added, but also to equipment and training. Applications are coming in from stu- dents at the law enforcement academies in Manatee, Lee, Volusia and Osceola counties, he noted. Between mid-November 2013 and mid-Feb- ruary of this year, Hoffman continued, the The October opening of The Mall at University Town Center is expected to lead to a doubling in calls for Sheriff's Office service in the University Parkway area, Sheriff Tom Knight says. Photo by Norman Schimmel Sarasota News Leader January 31, 2014 Page 44