New tools, tech and policing zones for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — New zones, technology, tools and teamwork: These are a few factors for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in how it will patrol the city moving forward.

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A town hall with the sheriff unveiled new ways the department is looking to keep the city safe and bridge the gap between the community and the police. It was held at the Prime Osborn Convention Center, where there wasn’t an empty seat in sight.

JSO released maps of newly re-drawn zones, which looked to help even out policing in the city. The agency has used the same zones since roughly 1996. There are now six policing districts, 24 sectors and 144 sub-sectors. JSO said each district will have 14 squads and each one will be staffed by 10 officers.

“We looked at those calls for service over several years, and we determined where we want to put our manpower. We wanted to equal it out, so we used those numbers to determine our boundaries,” Sheriff T.K. Waters said.

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Action News Jax numbers show that between now and this time last year, there have been 46 fewer shootings and 13 fewer murders. Waters said it’s not luck but JSO’s efforts.

“Proactive policing is not illegal. It’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re supposed to be checking our neighborhoods. We’re supposed to be stopping the people that we believe, as long the stop is legal, are up to criminal activity,” he said.

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JSO said the new redrawn zones look to increase response times, adding it also hopes to benefit citizens and officers. The agency said this will allow officers to be able to speak with more people in the community for their designated district.

Another initiative Waters and the agency presented is called Connect Duval, which is a police and public partnership. It’s voluntary, where the public and businesses can register their cameras with the sheriff’s office. If there’s a crime nearby, JSO would be able to contact you looking for help and get security footage of it.

As the city continues to grow, JSO said these initiatives will make for a safer Jacksonville for everybody.

“It will allow police a new avenue to gather evidence quickly and efficiently while allowing the public to elevate the safety and security of our community,” Director Mark Romano said.

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Mayor Donna Deegan presented a roughly $580 million budget for JSO, which includes funding for more officers. Before she was elected, Sheriff Waters was in commercials saying her policies would make the city and its officers less safe. Waters now says he’s not surprised by the amount they got.

“We had a talk after that campaign was over. I told her exactly why I felt like I felt. She said, ‘Okay, we have to build trust.’ Naturally, so she’s a reasonable person. She’s a smart person,” he said.

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Sheriff Waters said they need 216 officers to help with this new vision. Though 80 are on their way, he says they’ll still need more for appropriate staffing. The Sheriff also said Jacksonville is last in pay when it comes to big cities in Florida, adding 81 percent of their budget is for salary and benefits. Action News Jax asked Waters how they can hire that many when 81 percent of their budget is for salary and wages -- which he said is one of the lowest in Florida.

“It’s tough, that’s a good question. You still work. JSO is a professional organization. You sell that to the public,” he said.

JSO also unveiled its new patrol vehicles. The new zones roll out on July 29.

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You can see a comparison of the new and old JSO zones below:

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