JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Following Mayor Donna Deegan’s announcement Wednesday saying she won’t sign nor veto the city’s immigration bill, the new law set to take effect opens the door for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to get more fingerprint scanners.
Public Information Officer Chris Hancock said JSO officers have been using the portable, cell phone-sized scanners since 2017.
“We started with a few, and we have grown that up to about 150 today,” Hancock said. “They’re about $3,000 a piece.”
The legislation called for just over $76,000 to pay for 25 more scanners to be added to the department’s stock. Given the emotion surrounding the issue of immigration, JSO said it has heard concerns from people in the community.
“Citizens on the street are believing that we’re just going to approach for any reason and ask for fingerprints to identify people,” Hancock said. “Absolutely not the case.”
RELATED | Sheriff T.K. Waters says Jacksonville residents want to see illegal immigration bill ‘get done’
Hancock said the fingerprint scanners are used only during lawful detentions. In simpler terms, they’re used on people where there is evidence of them having committed a crime, and that will not change.
Hancock said if a person is lawfully detained or arrested, the officer needs to know the true identity of the person.
“I’m going to ask you who you are, you’re going to tell me who you are, and I’m going to ask you for identification,” Hancock said. “If, in those two processes, I am unable to determine who you are, there are some databases that I can utilize via our laptops. I’m going to search those databases. If I am still not confident that you are who you say you are, then I have this at my disposal.”
Once the fingerprint is scanned, Hancock said it will send a message through the computer system to the state and federal government, which will then reveal the person’s identity. That is only if the person has a fingerprint on file.
“There are a lot of people that have gone their whole lives and never had a run-in with the police, and that’s phenomenal,” Hancock said. “If you don’t have a fingerprint on file, we’re not going to get one.”
Hancock went on to clarify that the scanners do not share information about a person’s prior criminal offenses or immigration status.
Overall, Hancock said JSO wants the public to know there will be no profiling.
“That is absolutely not what we’re doing. We have no reason to do that,” Hancock said. “We’re here to just enforce the laws. If we have to come into contact with you for some reason, we need to know that we are talking to whom they are saying they are, or if they’re not telling us who they are, that’s a simple fact. We’re not just stopping people at random.”
Mayor Donna Deegan openly supported the element of the legislation calling for the funding for the 25 additional fingerprint scanners.
Sheriff T.K. Waters sent News4JAX the following statement regarding Deegan’s announcement:
“Leadership means making tough decisions. While the Mayor may have chosen to let this bill become law without her signature, the men and women of law enforcement don’t have the option of sitting on the sidelines. We’ll continue to do our duty and enforce the laws as written.”
Sheriff T.K. Waters
