JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nearly three dozen new police officers took their oath and received their badges Wednesday evening. They were welcomed to the force by Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff Mike Williams.
These young men and women now transition into the next phase of their law enforcement career: street training.
"I'm ready for the challenge," Officer Javacia Boston said. "I'm ready to learn new and different things every day, so I'm excited."
Street training will take about three and a half months, and not all recruits will make it.
"I'm actually the first a police officer in the family, so everybody is real proud (of) me being here, being able to accomplish what I went through in the academy," Officer Hipolito Delacruz said.
JSO plans to add 200 new officers over the next 20 months, plus 100 correctional officers.
Some of these officers will fill newly created positions with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, while others will fill the shoes of veteran officers who are retiring.
"The goal is in the years ahead to get the force back to where was before," Curry said. "When I took office, there were fewer officers on the street then in 2003, so we are committed to getting those levels back up so people of Jacksonville know that they are safe and that we can take care of them and their family members"
Also funded in the new city budget are 40 community service officers -- non-sworn members of the agency that help with assignments that don't require a badge or gun.
"They handle minor crashes, picking up evidence and, really, it was a great force multiplier for us," Williams said. "It really freed up police officers to be down in neighborhoods handling things down there."
News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said it's great to see so many people willing to serve.
"If you look at what's going on around the country, so much opposition towards police officers," Smith said. "Sometimes spouses get involved and would prefer their husband or wife not get involved in law enforcement because of some of the attacks on law enforcement."
If you are interested in becoming an officer, visit joinjso.com.