JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A crime prevention walk led by Sheriff T.K. Waters brought residents, law enforcement officers and community advocates together on Saturday as part of an effort to strengthen relationships between the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and area neighborhoods.
Waters said the walks are intended to take place throughout Jacksonville, regardless of whether a neighborhood is experiencing significant crime, and are designed to allow residents to speak directly with law enforcement about their concerns.
“This is just part of it, but we’re trying to make it around every part of the city,” Waters said. “Whether there’s crime problems or not, people deserve to see their elected sheriff.”
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Waters said the locations for the walks are selected with input from district commanders, who work in the neighborhoods regularly and can identify areas where direct communication with residents would be beneficial.
The sheriff said the walks also provide an opportunity to hear about issues that may not always reach his office through traditional channels.
“I always gain a lot,” Waters said. “I gain knowledge about some things that maybe I didn’t hear about, like some traffic issues or whether there’s vagrancy issues or something like that.”
Traffic concerns, including speeding in residential neighborhoods, are among the issues Waters said officers frequently hear from residents. Depending on the neighborhood, residents may also raise concerns about trash, blight and other quality-of-life issues.
Waters said the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has units that can address some of those concerns, including a blight unit.
“We’re pretty robust in the things that we are capable of doing,” he said. “That’s why we come out and we want to talk and hear about some things.”
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For community advocates, the walks provide an opportunity to see officers in a different setting, one focused on conversation and engagement rather than responding to a crime.
A.J. Jordan, an outreach coordinator with M.A.D. D.A.D.S., said the events allow residents to interact with the sheriff and his command staff while building relationships with law enforcement.
“It’s good to be out here because we get a chance to engage with the community,” Jordan said. “The community gets a chance to talk to the sheriff and his command staff. And it’s a way to build relationships within our community.”
Jordan said seeing officers participate in community events also sends a message to residents that law enforcement wants to know the people they serve.
“It lets the community know that the officers care and want to get to know the community that they serve,” Jordan said.
He also encouraged more residents to participate in future walks.
“We look forward to the next walk and we want to see more and more of our community get involved with these walks,” Jordan said.
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Pat Ritter, a longtime Jacksonville resident, was out with a sign in hand welcoming JSO to her neighborhood. Ritter said she has lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years and has remained active in the community.
Ritter was part of the Citizens Police Academy, a program she credited with helping her better understand law enforcement and the importance of reporting problems.
Ritter said she believes residents should demonstrate their support for officers while also taking responsibility for helping address issues in their neighborhoods.
“They need to know that we care about them, that we want them to be here,” Ritter said.
She said community members can play a role by reporting problems and becoming educated about when and how to seek assistance from law enforcement.
Waters said the community walks are also about allowing residents to meet him personally rather than relying solely on public perceptions of the sheriff.
“They get a chance to see me, not the picture that’s painted of me sometimes,” Waters said. “They get the chance to see me as an individual, who I am as a person.”
Waters said his goal is to make himself available to as many Jacksonville residents as possible and emphasized the importance of public safety throughout the city.
The next community walk is expected to take place next month on October 10th in Moncrief.
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