JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tuesday night’s town hall, held in District 4 on Jacksonville’s Westside, marked Sheriff T.K. Waters’ first public appearance since Monday’s news conference, where he announced that officers involved in the viral arrest of William McNeil Jr. would not face criminal charges.
Waters faced the community members at the First Coast Baptist Church to talk about decreased murder rates, crime prevention and public concerns about a viral video showing a controversial February traffic stop that has sparked nationwide attention.
“I want people to understand that there is access, and I want people to understand that I actually love this community and everybody in it,” Waters told attendees at his third town hall of the year.
The meeting occurred hours after activists gathered outside the downtown courthouse, demanding increased transparency from the sheriff’s office regarding the February 19 incident.
Watch the full town hall below:
While the State Attorney’s Office has cleared the officers of criminal wrongdoing, Waters emphasized that an administrative review remains active.
“If you betray this badge — if you do something that breaks a law, we will arrest you for it,” Waters said.
Waters explained that the incident will undergo a thorough review process, noting he maintains the authority to request additional investigation if needed.
At the town hall, community members submitted written questions directly to the sheriff and his staff, focusing on investigation procedures and departmental transparency.
Waters emphasized his commitment to thorough review processes and public disclosure.
“They have 180 days to finish the investigation when it comes to administrative rules, but we want to get it done as quickly as possible so that we can notify the public of what we come up with,” he said.
That timeline would call for a final report by mid-January.
Undersheriff Shawn Coarsey detailed the administrative review process, noting that serious violations could result in termination.
“The Sheriff has the right to go all the way to the top to termination. If they do something and it is bad enough that we decide they can no longer be part of this agency, then we terminate them,” Coarsey said.
On Monday, Waters released body camera footage of the incident, aiming to provide the full encounter.
“What I want to do is offer accurate information so that people can actually see in context what happened from start to finish,” he said.
And the sheriff acknowledged that public opinion might remain divided on the incident.
“I am not foolish enough to believe that everyone’s just going to jump on a side. But I am smart enough to believe that reasonable people, logical people, that see an entire incident from beginning to end in context — will understand that a lot more took place there.”
