JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dedication, heart and resilience make leaders shine in law enforcement. These qualities also highlight Commander Erika Weber’s remarkable career.
Weber reflected on her 19 years with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) after giving our own Joy Purdy a tour of the Northeast Florida Criminal Justice Training Center.
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That’s where about 130 newbies are under the watchful eye of more than 50 instructors, and about 2,500 officers from across the region come for advanced and specialized training.
Weber is in charge of it all, as JSO partners with Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ).
Part of her professional journey has included working in the JSO Special Assault Unit investigating sex crimes, child abuse, and family violence.
Pushing to protect survivors and help families recover, Weber said, has truly brought her strong satisfaction.
She said it was actually cathartic, revealing her personal trauma as a child sexually abused by a family friend.
It was a horrid experience that Weber has used to shape her purposeful approach to police work.
For example, when Weber was Assistant Chief at the JSO 911 call center, she voluntarily completed the same training as her subordinates to not only become a certified 911 operator herself but to also better serve as their supervisor.
“To be able to sit down and help them take calls and to be able to understand what they were going through and to not, I guess, to not just be another name on a wall of who my supervisor is kind of thing,” Weber explained. “I wanted to be a part of the team and to do that, I felt like it was important.”
Weber’s unique perspective has helped people throughout her career; from being tasked with removing firearms from those with psychological and emotional instabilities to helping bring mental health dogs to the sheriff’s office.
Weber’s passion and dedication are undeniable.
You can hear Joy’s full conversation with Commander Erica Weber on Joy’s podcast Discover the Joy.