Two criteria were followed in the development of the standard: that the measure be unambiguous and built upon existing departmental procedures and that the measure be readily related to the budgetary process. The standard is based upon two variables: calls for service which result in an official report and manpower in field units. The county commission chose a Service Standard of 343, which translates into 343 calls for service per field officer annually. The Service Standard was evaluated against projected growth rates in calls for service. Projecting future rates for calls for service involved developing a regression model using county demographic variables to estimate future population growth patterns, as these patterns relate to growth in calls for police service. These service call figures were then adjusted to reflect different levels of service as they relate to the sheriff department's manpower projections. The Orange County study evaluated four Service Standard levels: 300, 343, 375, and 400; all were below the county's present Service Standard average of 430. This particular analysis reflected the policymakers' conclusion that existing services needed to be improved. A table illustrates the analysis of revenue and expenditure patterns as a consequence of selecting the 343 Service Standard, with resulting increases in personnel and equipment costs. Similar tables were generated for other levels of projected service. Ten references are listed.