Sheriff plans to hire 31 people to enforce gun seizure law.

Broward Sheriff Scott Israel plans to hire 31 employees to enforce a new state law that gives police the power to seize guns from private citizens at risk of harming themselves or others.

Police in the county have seized guns more often than elsewhere in the state under the so-called “red flag” law signed by Gov. Rick Scott in March in response to the February massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that killed 17 and wounded 17 others.

To date, the Sheriff’s Office has had 47 cases submitted under the new law and removed guns in 22 of those, said the sheriff’s general counsel, Ron Gunzburger. Only a few cases — the exact number wasn’t specified — have been declined, and the rest are still being investigated, Gunzburger said.

“Right now, it’s all hands on deck,” Col. Tom Harrington said.

The new positions will cost $2.7 million. They consist of deputies and other personnel needed to serve the risk protection orders, confiscate the weapons, conduct the threat assessment investigations and monitor individuals whose weapons have been temporarily taken. An attorney will be hired to draft and file the orders and represent the Sheriff ’s Office in court.

“Because of the horrific tragedy in Parkland, our world in Broward County and the United States of America has basically changed,” Israel said. “Risk protection orders, RPOs if you will, is the new norm.

Basically what these are are orders that allow police to seize firearms from people that we believe are a danger to themselves, mentally ill, and it expands our ability to make Broward County safe.”

Gunzburger doesn’t expect new cases to taper off anytime soon.

“What we’re finding is the number we’re getting from our districts is starting to rise because as we’re doing the training component to let all our deputies know how it works now, now that they’re learning what to look for, what to spot, the whole concept of the red flag law is err on the side of caution so long as it meets the requirements, the due process requirements,” Gunzburger said.

The new positions are among 49 requested in the sheriff’s proposed budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. That budget was presented to county commissioners at a workshop Tuesday.

The sheriff’s overall budget is 4.6 percent higher than last year. That’s the level county officials had requested, based on an expected increase in the county’s property tax revenues due to increased property values.

The portion of the Sheriff’s Office budget supported by property taxes is proposed to rise to $516 million, which is a $22.7 million increase. The office’s total budget, when contracts with individual cities who hire the Sheriff ’s Office to provide their police services are included, is proposed at $926.6 million.

Other new positions in the sheriff’s budget includes five additional deputies for courthouse security, six in the aviation unit, five for fire air rescue and one each for a school resource officer and a hazardous materials fire-rescue officer.

Separate from the sheriff’s budget is its contract to provide dispatch services for the county’s consolidated 911 emergency phone system. Israel is seeking ten more employees for the dispatch center to lower its staff to supervisor ratio. The budget for dispatch services would increase 7.1 percent.

County officials said they were concerned about the increase because one of the points behind the consolidated system was to create operational efficiencies that would bring down the overall costs.