JSO Community Walk to reduce crime meets in Mandarin Saturday

Jacksonville's Crime Reduction Task Force met for the first time on Friday.

On Saturday morning Jacksonville Sheriff's Office met for their monthly crime walk to talk crime prevention tips with neighbors.

Rodger Ulloa and his family have lived in this Mandarin neighborhood for three years.

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Ulloa says it’s quiet and he feels safe most of the time, but a month ago, he needed to call police.

“There were a few incidents where some people (were) walking around, jumping around the backyards and trying to break into cars,” said Ulloa.

Ulloa said the police came immediately, and on Saturday, the JSO, along with dozens of others, went door to door to talk to neighbors about crime prevention.

Action News Jax checked JSO’s crime map and only found four incidents within the last four weeks within a 1-mile radius of Greenland Road and the Olde Field Oaks community.

Most of those cases were larceny or theft. There was one report of domestic battery.

“You get the auto burglaries, people leave their car unlocked, that sort of thing, and again, speeding issues. There’s a little bit of mischief from the high school from time to time, but other than that, in this area, not a lot,” said Sheriff Mike Williams with JSO.

Action News Jax asked the sheriff why he chose this community rather than one that has seen more violent crimes.

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“We do these walks all over the city, so you go from (a) neighborhood like this to neighborhoods that have real challenges with violent crime,” said Williams.

While Williams hopes that more JSO police officers in a neighborhood will deter criminals, he says these walks are about connecting the community with police officers.

“Maybe giving them a comfort level to call us when they see something suspicious,” said Williams.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office tells Action News Jax they've had at least 600 walks since 2015.

Cox Media Group