Crime initiative in Jacksonville seeing results, sheriff, mayor say

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Overtime and more police on the streets have brought crime down in the Jacksonville area, according to Jacksonville’s mayor and sheriff.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff Mike Williams held a joint news conference Thursday morning to talk about the results of recent police efforts and the return on the investment in police overtime.

Curry said what the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is doing, is working.

Williams said police focused on non-domestic shootings in the city, and there was an increase in December and January. Curry and Williams believe that putting more officers on the street in January and using overtime has worked.

Since January, JSO has used 24,000 man hours on the street, equaling more than $1 million, Williams said. There were 81 non-domestic shootings in June 2015; that number went up in January 2016 to 90 non-domestic shootings. The number dipped to 50 non-domestic shootings in June 2016.

Williams said that despite seven homicides so far in July, the formula is working.

“And again, putting the right policemen in the right place at the right time, does reduce crime,” Williams said. “More policemen does equal less crime, and this stat shows that.”

Williams said there are 1,643 officers, about 30 percent of them black, and his team is working to have JSO represent the minority population in Jacksonville.

JSO is seeking to hire about 200 more police officers over the next 20 months, especially minorities and women.

Action News Jax reporter Larry Spruill is on the story. Watch CBS47 Action News Jax beginning at 5 p.m. and follow him on Twitter @LarryANjax for the latest developments. 

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