The Sheriff’s Office Patrol division patrols the 660 square miles of unincorporated Denton County and responds to emergency calls 24 hours a day. It consists of a total of 48 deputies, including 20 deputies who drove 914,000 patrol miles in 2006, and 13 more who make up the Special Enforcement Unit, which logged 209,500 miles last year enforcing traffic, commercial vehicle, boating and drug laws. The Sheriff’s Patrol also includes two animal control deputies who each respond to up to 30 calls a day concerning loose livestock, domestic, stray and wild animals, possible rabid animals and cases involving animal cruelty. The deputies logged in almost 74,000 miles in 2006.

Currently, the Texas Department of Public Safety investigates most major traffic accidents and all fatal accidents. During 2006, the patrol division deputies worked a total of 253 crash investigations, ranging from very minor accidents to major accidents. This does not include DPS or other agency investigations, and does not include crashes where patrol deputies assisted other agencies with investigations or traffic control at crash scenes.

Calls for service have risen for the past two fiscal years. In FY 2004-04, calls for service increased 23 percent over the previous year. In FY 2005-06, the last year for which complete figures are available, calls for service increased 10 percent.