Report critical of JSO’s relationship with Black residents, calls for citizen review board

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A telephone for betterment astatine the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

A captious study called “Safer Together” spells retired what the authors accidental are problems with the narration betwixt Black residents successful Jacksonville and JSO. The study calls for the assemblage to person much oversight of the Sheriff’s Office and respective metropolis assembly members volition code the study connected Monday night.

There person been harsh words for JSO successful past years erstwhile it comes to policing successful number neighborhoods. That was brought to airy successful the Black Lives Matter protests implicit a twelvemonth agone successful downtown Jacksonville. It is besides echoed by assemblage groups lashing retired astatine JSO erstwhile determination are police-involved shootings.

That was the crushed down the yearlong Safer Together workshops organized by the metropolis council. Some of those findings from the Safer Together study that came retired of those workshops spell retired the problems. For example, the study blasts the sheriff’s bureau and the media for overreacting to this past summer’s Orange Crush festival astatine the beach.

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Report captious of JSO’s narration with Black residents, calls for national reappraisal board

Here is what 1 of the authors of the report, Dr. Tammy Hodo, told the assembly past month.

“Orange Crush was labeled arsenic a achromatic formation play and we enactment this successful our report. There were 100 inmates moved from the region to St. Johns County oregon Flagler County to marque mode for this achromatic formation weekend. We don’t spot that erstwhile we person 20,000 radical travel for the Florida-Georgia game. The demographic is different,” Hodo said.

That was included successful the report, but determination is overmuch more.

News4Jax spoke with councilwoman Joyce Morgan astir that and however the study slams the sheriff’s bureau suggesting determination are race-related issues.

“Of people it’s a interest and this is 1 of the reasons wherefore we’ve had each these workshops truthful we tin bring radical unneurotic truthful they tin speech astir it,” Morgan said.

One of the astir arguable proposals is simply a national reappraisal board.

MORE | Should Jacksonville make a constabulary national reappraisal board?

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The study suggests forming it to assistance analyse police-involved shootings successful Jacksonville. We bash cognize it’s thing the sheriff’s bureau has been opposed to successful the past. Community groups similar the Northside Coalition person been pushing for the reappraisal committee for years.

The metropolis assembly volition beryllium taking up authorities again to see the process but it would not hap anytime soon.

“There was really a batch much than conscionable the citizen’s board, but erstwhile thing sticks retired similar that you person to admit it,” Morgan said.

News4Jax wanted to inquire Sheriff Mike Williams astir that connected Monday but helium declined an interrogation and successful a connection said:

“The study has not yet been introduced publicly. [Monday’s] gathering volition service arsenic that induction...We besides recognize determination is to beryllium definite recommendations included wrong the study and we volition person unit contiguous to enactment with the committee.”

Sheriff Williams volition conscionable with councilwoman Morgan aboriginal this week the sermon the result of Monday’s meeting.

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News4Jax besides reached retired to astir of those moving for Jacksonville Sheriff successful 2023.

Lakesha Burton who was 1 of the archetypal to denote said she is waiting to perceive what Willaims volition accidental astir the reports.

Wayne Clark who is besides a campaigner believes determination could beryllium a compromise regarding a national reappraisal board.

All of this is apt to beryllium debated successful the upcoming predetermination 2 years from now.

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