Callaway says it's getting more for less with Sheriff’s Office contract

CALLAWAY — City Manager Michael Fuller and Mayor Thomas Abbott both marveled Callaway has not had the violent crimes — specifically murders — that have plagued other Bay County cities recently.

“More terrible types of crimes are happening elsewhere,” Fuller said.

Both of them attributed that to the job the Callaway branch of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office has done in recent years.

Lt. Michael Branning, commander of the Callaway sheriff’s office branch, agreed, but there has not been a total absense of violent acts.

In 2010, two drive-by shootings prompted an intense investigation. A man had fired AK-47 rounds into a house in the 6500 block of Pridgen Avenue. Complicating matters, the victims, unharmed in the shooting, were known drug  dealers and unwilling to talk to police. Any other witnesses were equally reluctant to talk.

“It is aggravating when people won’t talk,” Branning said.

At that point, the investigation could have ended — street justice served. Branning said eliminating this type of thinking is one of his top priorities. The Sheriff’s Office worked the case, developing a suspect in Michael Mitchell. Eventually gathering enough evidence for a warrant, they searched Mitchell’s home, just a block away from the crime scene, and found crack cocaine and an AK-47 that matched the shells at the scene. Mitchell now is serving a sentence in a federal penitentiary.

“Yeah, it may have been another drug dealer,” Branning said. “What would keep them from doing it again to an innocent victim?”

This philosophy is why deputies in the Callaway office work burglaries, assaults, thefts and drug deals with zeal to keep potential violent offenders off the streets. The office completed 611 arrests in 2013 and had an average response time of 5 minutes, 38 seconds on the 10,992 calls it received.

“Probably the best money we spend is with the sheriff,” Mayor Thomas Abbott said.

How much

Abbott feels this way in part because Callaway is getting a pretty good deal. Fuller has budgeted $1,406,219 for the sheriff’s contract for the 2014-15 budget, up from $1,339,256 the year before. The difference is a 5 percent increase written into the contract the Sheriff’s Office can use every year.

However, this is the first time in several years the Sheriff’s Office has taken advantage of the 5 percent increase. Branning said the vehicles his station uses all have well over 100,000 miles of city driving and several are due for replacement. The previous three years, the Sheriff’s Office has returned some money to the city; Branning estimated it at about $5,000.

Callaway and Lynn Haven are comparable in size. Both are about 10 square miles; Lynn Haven has 19,360 people and Callaway has 14,732, according to a 2013 Census Bureau estimate. With a department of 20 officers, Lynn Haven has a law enforcement budget of more than $3 million.

“We’re able to offer them law enforcement service that is second to none,” Branning said.

The Callaway station has 16 officers and two investigators and they average about 10 years of experience each. Fuller and Abbott both remarked Callaway can take advantage of the sheriff’s numerous resources, particularly SWAT team and CSI unit.

“To be honest, after 8½ years on the (city) commission, there hasn’t been a push to have a force called the Callaway Police Department,” Abbott said.

The Callaway Police Department dissolved in 1992. One of the former officers, now Lt. Billy Harris, works for the Sheriff’s Office.

There is not a disconnect between the Callaway station and the community. Branning said officers do not stray far from Callaway, responding to some calls outside the city but within a few miles. He said keeping up citizen contacts is another station focus.

“If somebody goes jogging or walks home at 3 a.m., they know,” Branning of  said of his officers. “Those citizen contacts eliminate a lot of those burglaries.”

Branning lives in Callaway. He makes sure his officers always work the same areas to know the community.

“Our guys get out into the community,” Abbott said. “We see these guys all the time.”

While Callaway may be getting the better end of the partnership, there have been some benefits for the Sheriff’s Office. Having officers in Callaway has allowed quicker access to calls in the outlying unincorporated areas around the city. Callaway also has provided a template for other areas of the county. Unincorporated Panama City Beach now has a full-time station commander who lives in the area, the same with Fountain.

“That’s our hometown police force,” Abbott said. “It’s a perfect example of an interlocal agreement that works for both sides.”