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“She actually seemed to care”: Woman recalls past interactions with arrested JSO officer

Jacksonville, FL. — Miley Collier told Action News Jax reporter Jessica Barreto that to her, Sgt. Hardin was a caring officer who helped her through tough times.

She can’t believe that now, Hardin is in trouble with the law herself.

JSO Sergeant Tamara Hardin was arrested after police say she leaked sensitive information to a family friend who was a person of interest in Georgia.

Miley Collier told Action News Jax reporter Jessica Barreto that to her, Sgt. Hardin was a caring officer who helped her through tough times.

She can’t believe that now, Hardin is in trouble with the law herself.

“I look up at the report and I was like, ‘Oh crap!’ I was like, ‘I know that officer!’ And I just about fell out of my chair seeing that,” Collier said.

Collier says she met Hardin a couple years ago when she was looking for help dealing with cyber bullies.

“She saw me all upset, and she talked to me and she gave me some helpful advice on how to handle them,” Collier explained. “The trick is you don’t respond to them, you don’t react to them.”

Collier went on to say it was Hardin’s attentiveness that really stood out. “She seemed, not like any other officer I’ve known,” she pointed out. “She actually seemed to care, she listened.”

JSO tweeted a picture of Hardin back in 2016 when she was named Officer of the Month for capturing an armed and dangerous suspect.

Legally, Hardin’s mug shot does not have to be released since she is an officer.

Action News Jax dug into Hardin’s 17-year history with JSO and found just one complaint against her.

It was filed by an inmate and the claims were unfounded.

“[An information leak] could compromise the investigation,” Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson explained. “It could allow an undercover agent to be killed, those are the most dangerous aspects of the disclosure of information.”

To Collier, she’ll always stand out for different reasons. “I do remember her,” Collier said. “Because that advice, you know, holds true today.”

JSO says Sergeant Hardin has chosen not to resign from her position, so right now she is on leave without pay.

JSO says it will move to fire her once the criminal investigation is complete.