JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After Mayor Donna Deegan said that changes will be implemented to enhance security at City Hall following the arrests of three people during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, a knife expert explained how a knife could have gone undetected at security checkpoints.
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On the front steps of JSO headquarters, protesters made their voice heard less than 24 hours after a cell phone video captured a JSO officer grabbing 29-year-old Conor Cauley by the neck and pulling him over a chair to the ground before arresting him.
Some protesters who spoke to News4JAX said they believed the actions were excessive.
“I think that was a gross overreach, over abuse, whatever you want to call it. I think that gentleman didn’t deserve that, and he could have been hurt far beyond anything he did,” April Hall said.
“The officer attacked him. Pulled him by his neck,” said Lydia Bell.
JSO said the incident occurred while officers were attempting to arrest two women who were refusing to leave City Hall after causing a disturbance during Tuesday night’s city council meeting.
The agency also said that when they took Cauley into custody and searched him, they discovered he had a credit card knife on him, which is labeled that way because the blade and knife itself are nearly as thin as a credit card.
Somehow, the knife went undetected at the security checkpoint, which includes a walk-through magnetometer and an additional screening with a handheld magnetometer.
Knife expert Jesse Zuckerman, who owns a knife company in Mesa, Arizona, gave some explanation as to why that may have occurred.
“The body itself is made out of plastic,” he said. “The only part of it that’s actually metal is the blade itself, and it’s a very small piece of metal...It’s like putting a razor blade in your wallet and trying to go through the magnetometer. There’s a chance it might not pick it up.”
He adds that some credit card knives are completely plastic, including the blade, which wouldn’t be detected by a magnetometer.
Cauley was arrested and charged with resisting with violence and carrying a concealed weapon. However, a judge on Wednesday said there was not enough probable cause to charge him with resisting with violence.
He was released from custody around 10 p.m. later in the day. Video of him walking out of the jail can be seen below.
Deegan said her office has directed First Coast Security to train its officers on this style of concealed weapon and to conduct extra inspections of all personal items.
Read the mayor’s full statement below:
“We all have freedom of speech. The time to exercise that right is during the public comment period of City Council meetings. The words we choose matter. Civil discourse should be just that. Civil. If we truly want to solve problems, we have to find a way to speak respectfully to each other.
A small “credit card” knife went undetected in a wallet during the standard security screening process for last night’s City Council meeting. Moving forward, we have directed First Coast Security to train their officers on this style of concealed weapon, and to conduct extra inspections of all personal items going into the Council Chambers.
We are also conducting a full security review for City Hall – including potential equipment upgrades, staffing changes, and vendor options – as we get closer to the current security vendor contract expiring in September 2025.”
Mayor Donna Deegan
“We’ll review our security procedures to make sure that we don’t let that slip by again in the future,” said Nick Howland, the newly elected council vice president. “But also, that individual should not have brought that in. The rules are clear, and you particularly are not, don’t bring in a concealed weapon when you plan to create a disturbance.”
With Howland now set to officially take on the vice president position on city council, he’s grateful this situation wasn’t worse.
“Let me extend our warmest thank you and appreciation to the JSO officers who did their best and react. Did extremely quickly to this disturbance in the back of the room that kept those in the near proximity safe. It kept our staff safe, and it kept my council colleagues safe,” Howland said.
Kevin Carrico, who was named the council’s next president on Tuesday, also sent a statement in response to the incident.
We take the safety and order of our City Council meetings very seriously. Last night’s disturbance was unfortunate, but I am incredibly grateful to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for their swift and professional response. Their presence ensured the safety of all in attendance and allowed us to continue the important work of the people.
As incoming Council President, I remain committed to ensuring that our meetings remain a place of respectful public discourse and transparent government.
Kevin Carrico, Newly elected council president