JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters is calling for more police officers as Mayor Donna Deegan gets ready to present her budget to the city council on July 15.
Last year, the sheriff requested 80 more officers, half of which were funded through federal grant money. This year, he’s requesting an additional 40.
RELATED | Jacksonville sheriff asks city for $33 million more in JSO funding, 40 more officers as city grows
The sheriff said as the city itself expands, so does the need for more police resources.
“Jacksonville is now, last I read, is considered the 10th largest city in the United States,” Sheriff Waters said. “And our agency has to grow with it.”
The proposed budget for the sheriff’s office this year is $630 million ― that’s about $33 million more than last year.
“So, as the agency grows, and I know it’s not necessarily a comfortable number, but this is what it costs when we run an agency our size,” Sheriff Waters said. “There are entire areas now because as Jacksonville expands, we had to have coverage. There are entire areas out there now that we have to get covered. So, this is going to help us continue to cover those areas.”
Neighbors like Robert Blackmon agree. He’s lived in the New Town neighborhood for years and sees a need every day.
“There’s just a whole lot going on around here,” Blackmon said. “People just don’t care. They just need police officers around here.”
But it’s not just the number of officers.
“Over 80% of our budget is salary and benefits, and that is a big part of what we spend,” Sheriff Waters said. “And then there’s the upkeep of equipment, safety equipment, bulletproof vests, making sure all our stuff has kept up, and technology that changes.
News4JAX asked the sheriff how talks with the mayor have been going leading up to this, especially when it comes to a need for more officers. The sheriff said talks have been going well.
“The mayor completely understands our needs,” Sheriff Waters said. “So now, it’s about working on, working through what we need to be able to do to get that done. So, we’ll see, we’ll see if they’ll be able to do it this year. My hopes are that they will.”
But not everyone feels the answer is more officers on the street.
News4JAX spoke to some people who are currently unhoused, staying in the downtown area. They brought up the recently removed Community Benefits Agreement money in the Jaguars stadium deal, which would’ve allocated funding to programs like affordable housing and homelessness. That’s where they feel more focus should be.
“That’s the wrong way to spend our money at this time,” one woman said. “We have more need for homeless shelters and places for homeless people to live on their own. That’s where that money should be allocated for, not officers.”
The mayor is presenting Monday, July 15, but the council will vote in September. To see the sheriff’s proposed budget, visit this link.
