Jacksonville Sheriff's Office

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
Logo of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
Agency overview
Formed	1968[1]
Employees	3,060
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Legal jurisdiction	Municipal/County
General nature	Law enforcement Civilian agency
Operational structure
Headquarters	501 E. Bay Street, Jacksonville, Florida
Sworn members	1,600 Police Officers 760 Corrections Officers
Unsworn members	700 civilians
Agency executive	Michael Williams[2], Sheriff
Website
Official website

Jacksonville, FL Sheriff badge

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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; the beach cities have their own police departments as well.

The sheriff's office also performs the corrections duties for the county. The current sheriff is Michael Williams, in office since July 1, 2015. Sheriff John T. Rutherford retired on June 30, 2015 and had been Sheriff since July 1, 2003. The JSO is one of the largest departments in the Southeastern United States, with 3,600 employees. Its headquarters is 501 E. Bay Street Jacksonville, Florida 32202.

Mission

According to the Sheriff's Office, its Mission is "To serve and protect in partnership with our community." The Vision of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is "A crime-free environment, driven by partnerships with empowered citizens, fostering a vibrant community and the success of all individuals." The Core Values of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office are: "Always Improving; Community Focused; Respect for Each Other; and Worthy of Trust."

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]

Elected Sheriffs

• 1903-1904 John Price
• 1913-1915 W. H. “Ham” Dowling
• 1924-1928 W. B. Cahoon^[4]
• 1932-1957 Rex Sweat
• 1957-1958 William Alpheus “Al” Cahill^[5]
• 1958-1986 Dale George Carson^[6]
• 1986-1996 Jim McMillan
• 1996-2004 Nat Glover
• 2004–2015 John Rutherford
• 2015-Present Mike Williams

Organization

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office responding to an emergency

The JSO is headed by the sheriff, a Florida constitutional officer elected to 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 (now defunct.)

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 is headed by the 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 - The 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 a capacity of 2,189. The others are the Malone Correctional Center (MCC); and the Community Transitions 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	Insignia
Sheriff
Undersheriff
Director
Chief
Assistant Chief
Captain (Corrections Only)
Lieutenant
Master Sergeant
Senior Sergeant
Sergeant
Master Patrolman/Master Corrections Officer / Community Service Corporal/Police Emergency Communications Officer II (Dispatcher)
Senior Patrolman/Senior Corrections Officer/Police Emergency Communications Officer I (Receiving Officer)
Officer / Detective	[no chevrons]

Misconduct

In 2005, Melanie Dawn Williams went into labor and rushed to the local hospital. She ran a red light and set off a string of events that led to two Jacksonville officers tackling and handcuffing her. In June 2010, the city paid the woman $67,500 to settle the matter.^[7]

In January 2007, undercover Jacksonville officers killed an 80-year-old man on his front lawn. The man, Isaac Singletary, who was known to have used a gun to chase drug dealers off his property attempted the same technique against three officers, James Narcisse, Donald Maynard and Darrin Green, posing as drug dealers. In 2010 the city agreed to pay Singletary's family $200,000 to settle the matter. Internal investigations cleared the officers, although Narcisse was later fired for an unrelated issue.^[8][9]

In August 2009, Donald L. Silcott, an evidence technician with the department, assaulted a teenaged girl in his home. In February 2011, he was sentenced to 40 months in jail.^[10]

In August 2009, Officer David Cervone and Sergeant Marc Garza conducted an illegal raid on a home in the city. Both were charged with various violations. Cervone disposed of his case in February 2009, by agreeing to by probation and community service.^[11]

In March 2010, a bank robber carjacked a woman and her children attempting to flee the scene. Jacksonville officers fired 42 shots at the moving vehicle killing the robber and wounding both hostages.^[12]

In April 2011, Sergeant Marc Garza pled no contest to beating a handcuffed suspect with his radio. He had already pled guilty to encouraging a subordinate to file a false official report.^[13]

In July 2011, Michael Eugene Williams resigned from the force after a second incident of domestic violence against women.^[14]

In September 2011, Lieutenant Reginald Lott plead guilty to stealing funds from a police charity. He was sentenced to a year in jail.^[15]

In October 2011, Officer Michael Rolison resigned after he collided his police car into another vehicle while driving drunk.^[16]

In August 2012, Deputy Richard Cannon plead guilty to sexual battery and custodial sexual battery of two underaged girls. He was sentenced to thirty years in prison.^[17]

In November 2012, Sam Koivisto was allowed to retire after telling officers he would be willing, if ordered to, to kill the President.^[18]

See also

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

References

External links

• Official Sheriff's Office Website
• Florida Times-Union profile

Coordinates: 30°19′31″N 81°39′08″W / 30.325381°N 81.652126°W / 30.325381; -81.652126

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