JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Records from News4JAX show that the number of violent crimes in Jacksonville seems to be going down in some ways compared to the same time last year.
Sheriff T.K. Waters, who has only been in office for a year, hasn’t been shy about praising the success of active law enforcement and crime gun intelligence.
He has held several news conferences to talk about how many arrests have been made and guns and drugs have been seized. JSO says that many of the people who have been charged are members of local gangs.
But a recent study by the News4JAX I-TEAM found that killings and murders in the River City have been going down. The number of people shot has gone down by 27% since the same time last year.
There have been 98 killings so far in 2023, compared to 135 at this time in 2022. The number of murders is also down by eight compared to the same time last year, from 52 to 44. But it’s important to know that JSO is still looking into 10 deaths that haven’t been labeled yet.
JSO’s Director of Investigations and Homeland Security, Mark Romano, says that the drop in crime is due to focused enforcement, which goes after the city’s most dangerous criminals, many of whom are in gangs or sell drugs.
The Sheriff’s Office has been using this method a lot, and as a result, they have arrested several people they think are “trigger pullers”
Romano said, “The police will go find John Doe, who may have something to do with this murder.” ”
And many times when they find that person, he’s wanted, he’s got a gun on him, he’s got drugs on him, and to be honest, they can put a charge on that person and put him in our jail whether they make the charge on that case or not.
Where he is no longer breaking the law in the area. And all it does is buy the detective a little time.”
News4JAX spent several days and nights in January riding with groups working to reduce violent crime. These groups included the Community Problems Response Unit, the Crime Gun Intelligence Unit, the Gang Unit, and the Violent Crime Unit.
At the end of the operation, many criminals were arrested and dozens of guns and drugs were taken away.
Even though the fact that crime rates are going down is good news, Romano is cautiously hopeful because he knows there is still a long way to go. Over the weekend, there were at least four killings in Jacksonville, including one that involved the police.
This morning, there was another shooting, which shows how much work and money are still needed to stop crime.
Romano emphasized the value of working as a team. Task force agents work directly with attorneys, the gang unit, murder, robbery, and other departments to share information and solve crimes faster.
“It’s up to us as detectives and officers of JSO to make sure we have good, solid cases, that we’re talking to the State Attorney’s Office, and that, in the end, these people go to prison,” he said.
Romano said that not all of the plans are brand new. Many started when other people were in charge. He says, though, that Sheriff Waters has spoken out a lot about the missions.
