Jacksonville, FL — Jacksonville’s Morning News continues a summer-long road show spotlighting public safety in northeast Florida with a visit to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Today’s broadcast follows the fourth town hall that Sheriff TK Waters has held in the community, at University Christian School on Tuesday.
Waters addressed a number of topics including economic crimes, traffic, special enforcement, and plans for a new jail.
Waters also responded to an analysis of court records that shows JSO disproportionately cited Black drivers for driving without lights in bad weather. It was the reason why William McNeil Jr. was pulled over in February in a stop that escalated to a violent confrontation. Attorneys representing McNeil Jr. have repeatedly argued racial bias played a role in his traffic stop. But the sheriff says his agency doesn’t deal with people based on what they look like, rather the violations they commit.
Sgt. Phil Christie discussed the Economic Crimes division, and how JSO investigates financial crimes, embezzlement, check fraud, scams, and more.
Cmdr. Chuck Ford discusses JSO’s Community Engagement resources, including (but not limited to) school crossing guards, the Police Athletic League, academic resources, the Teen Driving Academy, the Police Explorer program for older teens/young adults, and more.
Sgt. Michael Monts from the JSO Missing Persons division discusses the resources they use in investigations, the REVAMP program (Registry for Endagered, Vulnerable and Missing Persons) used for the safe return of registered at-risk persons, scent jar kits, trackers, and more.
▶ Listen to Jacksonville’s Morning News Interviews