JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After weeks of listening and answer questions, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office wrapped up its series of district town halls on Tuesday.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters and his staff concluded their six-district tour at First Baptist Church downtown, where District 1 residents submitted questions about the agency’s investigative processes and community trends.
“This is their agency and we want to make sure that we’re accountable and answerable to them and their concerns,” Waters said.
RELATED: Jacksonville sheriff lays out plans for future of jail, JSO headquarters at first town hall meeting
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has already begun implementing changes based on community feedback from earlier town halls. For example, the department increased its traffic enforcement unit from 34 to 50 officers and added more motorcycle units in response to residents’ concerns about road safety.
Throughout the town hall series, residents also asked about the internal investigation process at JSO, which comes after a viral video shows William McNeil Jr. get struck in the face during a traffic stop. That video didn’t result in any criminal charges, but an administrative review into the officer’s actions are ongoing.
Waters emphasized his commitment to improving communication with the public, particularly regarding the release of information. He addressed questions about the release of body camera video from the McNeil incident.
“I will neither condone nor will I condemn the actions of the officer that day,“ Waters said. ”Because that would be 100% completely improper. But the information was and the reason I released it the way that I did is because its important for people to see what happened from start to finish.”
While he was not able to get into the details of how the investigation is going, he said he hopes to release the information as quickly and efficiently as possible when it is allowed.
“I want to show them that any concern they bring to us we’re going to respond to those concerns and answer them,” Waters said. “That’s a big goal of mine. It always has been and always will be.”
The sheriff said he plans to focus on expanding the public information unit to facilitate more efficient communication with residents. Waters emphasized that these community feedback sessions help shape departmental priorities and drive meaningful changes in operations.
Despite the conclusion of the town hall series, Waters said he plans to maintain community dialogue through various outreach efforts, like the Sheriff’s Walk in Arlington on Saturday, which is scheduled to begin around 10:30 a.m.
