JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Several consecutive nights of violent crime in Jacksonville have some asking questions about what is and isn’t working to combat the city’s crime problem.
One community activist said it’s time for the city to take a different approach.
Already this year there have been 340 shootings reported in Jacksonville, according to figures compiled by News4Jax. That’s compared to 389 shootings for the entire year in 2019.
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So far this year, the city has seen 114 homicides, including 92 murders, with five months left to go. In 2019, the city recorded a total of 161 homicides, 130 classified as murders.
Ben Frazier, a community activist and president of the Northside Coalition advocacy group, doesn’t think the city’s current approach to reining in violent crime is working.
“The city’s effort to reduce gun violence needs creative leadership and a good swift kick in the budget,” Frazier said Friday.
He said some of the funding allocated for the Sheriff’s Office, which represents a significant chunk of the city budget, should be shifted to other programs. Similar proposals have been floated across the country.
“There is a direct connection between poverty and unemployment, economic degradation and gun violence,” said Frazier, who believes that more money should be spent on programs for job training, community development and revitalization.
Sheriff Mike Williams addressed some of those issues Thursday when he met with City Council members to discuss the city budget. This year, the sheriff’s proposed budget is $3 million more than last year.
In Frazier’s view, that additional $3 million would be better spent on the programs he mentioned.
News4Jax Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson is surprised by what’s happening in the city. He said programs and equipment put in place last year to keep a lid on crime aren’t producing results yet.
Jefferson recommends more community policing, saying that officers need to get out of their cars and meet people to learn about a neighborhood. He said that’s not currently happening.
“I call them drive-by cops,” Jefferson said. “They’re driving by until they’re called. They don’t stop most of the time, they don’t engage the community.”
Jefferson noted that some officers do get out of their vehicles, but he said most don’t unless they’re called for police service. For things to turn around, he said, that has got to change.
The sheriff said Thursday he’s meeting with Frazier and other community activists in hopes of having a dialogue that could result in some changes. Frazier said he hopes those meetings will be productive.