It remains our top priority and we are aligned in our efforts to get dangerous criminals off our streets and keep them out of our neighborhoods.
When I’m out in neighborhoods meeting with residents, the most common concern they share with me is crime and violence. And they want to know what their leaders are doing, and continue to do, to keep their families safe.
According to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Jacksonville is the 12
th largest City in the United States. But when you look at studies of crime rates for violent crimes and murders, we rank in the mid- to high-thirties.
But all three of us up know that one violent crime is one too many. And the hardworking professionals at Jacksonville Sheriff' Office (JSO) and the State Attorney’s Office remain focused on the mission.
Six months ago, the
Crime Gun Intelligence Center began operations. Since then, this center and the technologies it uses are making enormous cotnributions to how our law enforcement professionals better protect the people of Jacksonville, combining data and infromation from the many innovative technologies we’ve made major investments in, including ShotSpotter, the NIBIN database, and more.
With this data, investigators are better able to apprehend dangerous “trigger pullers” and provide prosecutors with the evidence they need to keep them off our streets.
When State Attorney Nelson came to me with this idea, sharing a best practice that had seen success in Denver, CO, I was on board immediately. And we worked with City Council to allocate $1 million in the 2017-18 Budget.
Our approach and our investments in these important crime fighting tools are working, and are making significant progress in our efforts to enhance public safety in Jacksonville.
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