by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Sheriff John Rutherford is one step closer to getting the funding to hire and train 40 new patrol officers. Monday, the City Council Finance Committee approved by a 5-1 vote legislation that now requires only the full Council approval. Rutherford said those officers will cost about $3.8 million.
However, even if Council approves the funding, it will be nearly a year before the officers are on the street. According to Rutherford, if he can hire them in July, it will be June of next year before they are on the street.
Rutherford has been asking for more officers to combat Jacksonville’s murder rate and a traffic fatality rate he says has become a problem. In addition to leading the state in per capita murders the past nine years, Rutherford said Jacksonville’s roads have become dangerous as well.
“There are two issues that put this whole issue into context,” said Rutherford, bringing up the murder rate and adding 2007 was the worst year for traffic fatalities ever in Jacksonville. “Last year we had 174 traffic fatalities.”
Based on an independent audit, Rutherford is seeking hundreds of new officers, but will take 40 as soon as possible. He’s looking for 225 patrol officers, 124 correctional officers and 84 civilian employees. Overall, those new employees will cost $82 million.
Several committee members voiced concern over the timing of the request, especially Richard Clark, who was the lone dissenting vote.
“My concern is that it’s June 2 and in about exactly one month, the mayor is going to present us with a new budget,” said Clark, who questioned the timing given the potential for a millage rate increase and the new fees that have been imposed. “I think it would be prudent to go through the entire budget process. If we want to do this right, and we want a long-term solution, we need to start doing it right now.”
Rutherford agreed that the funding request — and all subsequent requests — should be fully vetted. However, he said because it will take so long to hire and train the new officers, the funding needs to be approved now. He added the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has the $3.8 million in its budget, but the release of those funds requires Council approval.
Committee member Stephen Joost was adamant about putting additional officers on the street as soon as possible.
“When you are murdered, you don’t care about a process,” said Joost. “I don’t want to wait another month, week, day, hour or minute. I want another 40 officers on the street now.”
At Joost’s request, Rutherford said he would be glad to meet with him — or the entire Committee — to explain in detail the results of the audit and show exactly why the additional officers are needed, when they can be hired and how they will be deployed.
The funding legislation will go before the full Council June 10.