By Carole Hawkins, [email protected]
Safe neighborhoods sell more homes.
So it’s no surprise Jacksonville’s new sheriff was greeted warmly at the October breakfast meeting of the Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing Council.
Sheriff Mike Williams took office July 1, replacing John Rutherford, who retired after four terms.
Now more than 100 days into his job, Williams reiterated his priorities for keeping Jacksonville safe in what are still tight budget times.
Williams promised that efficiencies gained during years of recession would stay in place.
“We owe it to you as a taxpayer to drive efficiency … and to be as lean as we can,” he said.
Williams will benefit, however, from an expanded budget.
Mayor Lenny Curry followed through with a first step in his campaign promise to replace 147 police officers cut during the past several years.
Curry’s budget included funding for 40 police officers and 40 community service officers for the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1.
The community service officers “handle minor crashes, pick up evidence and do those things you do not need a gun and badge to do,” Williams said.
Jacksonville had CSOs a few years ago, but they were eliminated during budget cuts. Williams said he hopes to hire 50 more.
“They were a great force multiplier for us,” he said. “It allowed policemen to be down there full-time with folks building relationships and preventing crime.”
Resources gained though a larger budget and more officers will be spent building better relationships in the community, Williams said.
“It’s great for me to have relationships with business leaders … but it’s better for you to have a relationship with a policeman that works in your neighborhood,” Williams said. “That’s how you solve problems. That’s how you get things done.”
Locally and nationally, police officers have a hurdle of “us and them” to overcome, Williams said.
“There’s got to be that connection with the community, so that conversation is ongoing,” he said.
An oft-discussed campaign issue, violent crime is not unique to Jacksonville. But, some cities are having better success than Jacksonville at managing it, Williams said.
Jacksonville has been effective short-term at fighting violent crime, he said. But the problem is it’s become a “whack-a-mole” strategy. As the office focuses its resources in one part of town, violent crime pops up in another.
Department leaders will visit cities that have been effective at reducing violent crime over the long-term.
“We don’t need to recreate the wheel. We’re all dealing with the same issue,” Williams said. “We should be able to partner and have them give us some good ideas.”
Williams, in an effort to engage the community, has asked a group of business leaders to audit the department’s operations so they can “tell us where they think we can improve.”
Jacksonville University President Tim Cost will lead four task forces that will assess effectiveness with respect to training, transparency, community engagement, and resources.
Williams promised an independent process, saying neither he nor his staff would attend committee meetings.
The task force meetings will be open to the public, with time set aside for public comment.
Visit jaxsheriff.org and click the Sheriff’s Strategic Initiative link to find meeting times, dates and locations.