APD Chief McKinley: "We continue to be below state, local average of officers per capita"

By Tristan Robinson, Interning Correspondent with The Apopka Voice, and Staff Reports

In 1714, the British government, anxious to stop protests, passed a law called the "Riot Act." It allowed public officials to break up gatherings of 12 or more people by reading aloud a proclamation, warning those who heard it that they must disperse within the hour or be guilty of a felony punishable by death.

It was not until 1967 that England and Wales repealed it.

The phrase "read the Riot Act" has passed into common usage for a stern reprimand or warning of consequences. And by all definitions available in 2021, Apopka Police Chief Michael McKinley read the Riot Act to the City Council at its FY-2022 budget workshop last week in the form of an alarming PowerPoint presentation.

Apopka Police Chief Michael McKinley

The primary concern? A lack of sworn officers.

Apopka grows, but the APD falls behind in officers

Apopka is growing, but growth comes with challenges such as having enough officers to properly protect the city. The Apopka Police Department has not kept up with the rising population, if measured in per capita standards, and is looking to hire 10 more officers in the coming year to close that gap.

“In 2010, there were 15,707 households in Apopka. In 2020 the number increased to 19,920," said McKinley. "This represents a 26.8% increase in the number of households. The 2010 census showed a population in Apopka of 41,542 residents. In April 2020, the city of Apopka Community Development Department estimated the population of Apopka at 53,632 residents. This is an increase of 12,090 residents from 2010. This represents a 29.1% increase in our residential population in 10 years. Based on the increase in residents over this 10 year period, the APD should have hired approximately 26 officers.”

Essentially, the APD is in the midst of a five-year job freeze on sworn officers.

APD sworn officers over the years of fiscal budgets.

In the fiscal year 2016/17 budget, the APD was at 108 sworn officers. The department remained at 108 until FY-2019/20 when it expanded to 112. However, those four positions were in response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Act, which effectively took four officers off the streets and put them into the Apopka schools as SRO's (School Resource Officers), thus making the additional four officers more of a break-even prospect. This means the APD has not added to its sworn officer total since FY-2016/17.

McKinley urged the City Council to add to his police force in this budget.

“The primary reason for the increase is due to the need to address additional personnel in order to continue to provide the level of service to our community that they have come to expect," said McKinley.

Officers per 1,000 population ratios throughout the region.

McKinley proposed hiring 10 more officers this year along with a new Code Enforcement Officer. He also explained that a grant could pay a majority of their salaries.

"Last year we were awarded approximately $160,000 dollars in grants and we have applied for 10 officers in the 2021 COPS hiring grant that will be worth approximately $700,000."

He went on to tell the Council the benefits of a safe community.

"As the city continues to see rapid and increased growth the safety of our community will always be a top concern for our residents. An investment in public safety fosters trust, gets people engaged in their communities, and supports economic activity. Public safety perceptions are used by community members to determine how safe they feel in quality of life rankings. Places with lower crime rates are perceived as more desirable and attract visitors, businesses, new residents, and an increased talent pool. When people feel safe they conduct business in their community and they participate in local business, dining, and entertainment offerings. Public safety is a location factor for individuals looking to move into our community and for companies looking to invest in our community."

Even in a pandemic year, the APD lost ground

"The city continues to grow at a steady and fast rate," said McKinley. "From 2019-2020, the city grew by approximately 1,228 residents. Just this growth alone would have required adding an additional 2.56 officers to maintain our current per capita. However, during this period the APD did not receive any new authorized positions. Having those officers would have maintained our per capita rate at 2.14 which would have still left us below the local agency per capita average of 2.39 officers per thousand. Without adding new officers to account for this growth per capita our per capita in just one year dropped from 2.14 officers per 1,000 residents to 2.09 officers per 1,000."

And the future looks even more formidable for the APD to match the population growth in Apopka.

Apopka population through the years.

"There are 7,270 dwelling units planned or under construction in the city of Apopka," said McKinley. "This is up from 5,777 dwelling units planned or under construction last year. Based on census estimates there is now an average of three persons per household. This residential growth will add an estimated 21,810 residents to the city over the next few years. This is up from an estimated 15,484 last year. In addition to the residential growth, there are approximately 11 million square feet of industrial and commercial growth planned or under construction. This is up from an estimated 3 million from last year. Over the past couple of years, the city has modified the future land use in several areas of the city to allow for denser growth. As a result, we are experiencing an increase in apartment complexes and townhomes. All this growth is going to continue to tax the already limited resources of the APD if not planned for appropriately and addressed soon."

According to McKinley, the state average for police departments continues to be 2.43 officers per 1,000 and the local average of the listed agencies is 2.39. The local average is about the same as the state average. Due to the city's growth in 2020, the APD fell from a per capita 2.14 in 2019 to 2.09 officers per 1,000 residents in 2020. This equates to a drop in three officers per capita in just one year.

"We continue to be below the state and local average of officers per capita," McKinley said. "Our current per capita is lower than what it was in 2007 and will fall even lower with the planned growth if no new officers are added in the next fiscal year. In fact, we have now reached the lowest per capita other than 2018 than we have seen in the last 14 years...again this does not seem significant until you look at the actual officers needed to just reach the state average. To reach the state average of 2.43 officers per 1,000 residents the APD should have 130 authorized sworn law enforcement positions. Last year it was 126 due to growth that has increased. We currently have 112 authorized sworn positions. To reach the state average we now have to hire an additional 18 police officers."