Jacksonville Sheriff's Office

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) is a joint city-county law enforcement agency, which has primary responsibility for law enforcement, investigation, and corrections within the consolidated City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida, United States. Duval County includes the incorporated cities of Jacksonville, Atlantic Beach, Baldwin, Jacksonville Beach, and Neptune Beach; Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach, and Neptune Beach have their own police departments as well.

The sheriff's office also performs the corrections duties for the county. The current sheriff is John Rutherford, in office since July 1, 2003. The JSO is one of the largest departments in the Southeastern United States, with 3,600 employees. Headquarters of the sheriff's office is 501 E. Bay Street Jacksonville, Florida 32202.

Mission

According to the sheriff's office, its mission is to "protect the lives and property of the citizens of this community, to preserve the peace and to prevent crime and disorder while constantly guarding personal liberties as prescribed by law."

History

In 1967 a mandate was given by residents of Jacksonville and Duval County with 65 percent of the votes cast in favor of consolidating the city (Jacksonville Police Department) and county governments (Duval County Sheriff's Office). On October 1, 1968, the two governmental bodies were replaced with "a single unified government", the new organization, the Office of the Sheriff - Jacksonville Police, paralleled the name of the new jurisdiction. The four other municipalities within Duval County retained their own police departments. However, the Baldwin city council voted to disband their police department by 2007; at midnight on March 13, 2006, the sheriff's office took over responsibility of police services.^[3]

Organization

The JSO is headed by the Sheriff, a Florida constitutional officer elected by the citizens of the county to serve a four-year term with no limit on the number of terms. The Sheriff appoints his own senior staff from Undersheriff to Assistant Chiefs. All sworn members of the JSO are sworn in by the Sheriff and are considered under the Florida constitution as his/her deputies. All sworn members of the JSO are Law Enforcement Officers (LEO) or Correctional Officers with all powers allowed by state law to carry firearms and make arrest. JSO also employs Community Service Officers, who are unsworn personnel that respond to primarily traffic-related incidents not requiring the full police powers of a sworn officer.

Departments

The sheriff's office is divided into five departments, each sub-divided into divisions, sections, units, zones, and squads. Each Department is commanded by a director with the rank Director of a Department. Each division is commanded by a Chief. The Department and its sections are as follows.

Department of Patrol & Enforcement

There are three divisions in this department, and the director holds the title of Director of Patrol and Enforcement

Patrol East Division

Commanded by the Chief of Patrol East.

• Zone 1-Assistant Chief|Zone Commander
• Zone 2-Assistant Chief|Zone Commander
• Zone 3-Assistant Chief|Zone Commander

Patrol West Division

Commanded by the Chief of Patrol West.

• Zone 4-Assistant Chief|Zone Commander
• Zone 5-Assistant Chief|Zone Commander
• Zone 6-Assistant Chief|Zone Commander

Community Affairs & Special Events Division

Commanded by the Chief.

• Community Affairs-Assistant Chief
• Special Events-Assistant Chief

Department of Investigations & Homeland Security

There are three divisions in this department, and the director holds the title of Director of the Department of Investigations & Homeland Security.

Detective Division

The Detective Division is under the direction of the Chief of Detectives who is responsible for the overall operation of the division. The Detective Division comprises a Crimes Against Property Section and a Crimes Against Persons Section, both under the command of an Assistant Chief.

• Crimes Against Property
  • Burglary Unit - The Burglary Unit investigates all business and residential burglaries as well as thefts over a certain dollar amount. These squads are assigned to the geographic patrol zones.
  • Polygraph Unit - Polygraph Unit is staffed by polygraphists who administer polygraph examinations to suspects, victims, and witnesses involved in criminal investigations. They also administer polygraph examinations for police and other job applicants as part of their background investigation process.
  • Economic Crimes - The Economic Crimes Unit investigates forgeries, frauds, including internet fraud, bank fraud and credit card fraud, along with identity theft, con games, and other economic crimes.
  • Crime Scene Unit - The Crime Scene Unit is staffed by Evidence Technicians.
  • Latent Print Unit - The Latent Print Unit is staffed by latent print examiners who play a vital role in the investigation, identification, and conviction of criminal offenders.
  • Photo Lab - The Photo Lab is staffed by Police Photographers who are responsible for processing, printing and maintaining all crime scene photographs.
• Crimes Against Persons
  • Homicide Unit- The Homicide Unit handles current cases while one team handles cold case investigations. The "hot" teams investigate cases such as murder, manslaughter, suicide, accidental death (except traffic crashes), in‑custody deaths, any death of a suspicious or undetermined nature or a death in which a doctor will not sign the death certificate as well as any incident (except traffic crashes) resulting in life threatening injury. The homicide unit also investigates officer involved shooting incidents, no matter how serious the injury, and incidents when an officer has been shot or seriously injured.
    • Cold Case Unit - The Cold Case Team reviews all requests for an investigation, provided the original detective, or reassigned detective is no longer in the Homicide Unit and there is no other active ongoing investigation.
    • Missing Persons Unit - The Missing Persons Unit is under the direction of the Homicide Unit commander.
  • Robbery Unit - Detectives are tasked with the investigation of the crimes of armed robbery, unarmed or "strong-arm" robbery, home-invasion robbery, carjacking, and a relatively new Florida statute covering the crime of "robbery by sudden snatching." Additionally, the Robbery Unit oversees the enforcement of the Jacksonville Business Security Code and the Florida Convenience Business Security Act.
    • Traffic Homicide Unit - The Traffic Homicide Unit is responsible for investigating traffic fatalities, and hit and run crashes with serious bodily injury.
    • Auto Theft Unit - The Auto Theft Unit handles approximately auto theft investigations a year many of which result in civil disputes. The unit also investigates thefts of marine craft, all terrain vehicles, motorcycles and aircraft
  • Sex Crimes Unit - The Sex Crimes Unit detectives are tasked with the investigation of all felony sexual assaults, as well as crimes involving child pornography and lewd and lascivious acts.
    • Family Violence and Child Abuse Unit - The responsibility of the Family Violence Unit is to investigate incidents of child abuse, child neglect, domestic violence, elderly abuse, elderly neglect and financial exploitation of the elderly.
    • Fugitive Unit - The duties of the Fugitive and Transportation Unit consist of returning wanted suspects who have been arrested in other jurisdictions to face outstanding local charges, transporting inmates for legal proceedings from one secure facility to another as directed by the courts, handling the extradition and rendition proceedings for fugitives arrested locally and in other jurisdictions, and serving writs of bodily attachment.
    • Victim Services Coordinator - The Victim Services Coordinator provides assistance to all crime victims, witnesses, survivors, and their significant others. The coordinator also provides short-term crisis intervention and counseling for law enforcement.

Homeland Security & Narcotics/Vice Division

The Homeland Security & Narcotics/Vice Division is commanded by a Chief. It encompasses units and squads that include: Aviation; Bomb Squad; Canine; Dive Team; Homeland Security; Hostage Negotiators; Gang Intervention; Narcotics; Warehouse and Forfeiture Unit. Detectives also work with the North Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA); the Division also includes the Violent Crimes/Narcotics task force and Internet Crimes Against Children investigations. The Division has two sections, both led by an Assistant Chief.

• Narcotics/Vice-Assistant Chief
• Tactical Support/Canines/Homeland and Seaport Security/Mounted/Aviation-Assistant Chief

Department of Police Services

A Director leads the Department of Police Services. There are three divisions in this department.

• Budget & Management Division-Chief
• Police Support Services Division-Chief
  • Central Records-Assistant Chief
  • Communications-Assistant Chief
  • Logistic/General Support-Assistant Chief
  • Court Security-Lt.

Department of Personnel & Professional Standards

A Director leads the Department of Personnel & Professional Standards. There are two divisions in this department.

• Personnel Division-Chief
• Professional Standards Division-Chief
  • Academy Director-Assistant Chief

Department of Corrections

The Director of this department holds the title of Director of Corrections. The Department of Corrections has more than 600 certified corrections officers and civilian personnel with three correctional facilities in Duval County. The largest is the John E. Goode Pretrial Detention Facility (PTDF) located in downtown Jacksonville. It is a twelve-story building with an inmate capacity of 2,189. The others are the Montgomery Correctional Center (MCC); and the Community Transions Center (CTC). There are two divisions within this department:

• Jails Division-Chief of the Jail
  • Jails-Assistant Chief
• Prisons Division-Chief of Prisons
  • CTC-Assistant Chief
  • MCC-Assistant Chief

Rank structure of the Sheriff's Office

See also

• List of law enforcement agencies in Florida
• List of U.S. state and local law enforcement agencies

Notes

References

• Official website
• Florida Times-Union profile