DELTONA, Fla. — Deltona cut back on sheriff's deputies to save money last year, but a disturbing spike in burglaries has the city shelling out cash to get some of those deputies back.
WFTV found out burglars hit five homes just Tuesday night. Neighbors told WFTV it's about time the city did something. But it's expensive, $155,000 to put two more deputies on the street for just a couple of months.
Sixty-nine Volusia County deputies patrol the city of Deltona, and some believe they have their hands full. Crime was up just over nine percent this past year, with burglaries leading the way.
"Usually, when the economy is the way it is now, burglaries go up no matter how many police you have out there," homeowner Vern Crammer said.
Crammer and wife Kathy support the city commission's decision to add two more deputies for at least the next four months. But the move comes less than a year since the city cut eight officers from its squad to save money, a decision many residents disagreed with.
"Well, it's probably why it's going up, because there aren't enough patrolmen," homeowner Steve Kobily said.
The sheriff's office told WFTV there were five break-ins Tuesday night, including homes on Conway Drive, Commerce Avenue and Glen Haven. But commanders don't consider the crime rate there alarming, considering Deltona is Volusia County's largest city with more than 85,000 residents.
The city budget is just over $7 million a year for the sheriff's office to keep the peace. The Crammers believe that's quite enough. They're not sure more deputies would have prevented the spike in home break-ins.
"The only way we know is if we increase back to the eight we lost and see if the burglaries go down," Vern Crammer said.
Police protection has been a hot issue in Deltona. Two years ago, voters rejected a plan for the city to form its own police department.
WFTV
