Jacksonville Sheriff's Office addresses proposed improvements

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A citizens' task force looking into police issues, including body cameras and citizen oversight, has given Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams its final report on recommendations for the Sheriff's Office.

Tim Cost, chairman of the Strategic Initiative Task Force, said members looked at law enforcement through a different lens.

Cost, the president of Jacksonville University, said members condensed the recommendations into a report that could easily translate into action.

Cost, Williams and the chairs of the four committees -- transparency, community engagement, resources and training -- have been reviewing JSO for the last year.

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The transparency committee looked for ways in which the sheriff’s office could operate more openly. It agreed with the body camera pilot program and researched citizen review boards that could look into issues such as police-involved shootings.

The community engagement committee looked into improving the relationship between police and the public.

The resources committee examined what JSO has and what it needs, and the training committee scrutinized JSO’s practices in educating officers.

Williams said he’s optimistic about the findings.

Sheriff's Strategic Initiative full report

“I’d hope to see some ideas in here that we haven't thought of yet. That's really what I'd hope to see something new that we can implement that again will help us improve our agency,” Williams said.

Williams said he will review the report and hopes to have new plans set by late February or early March.

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