JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Debate is swirling over the new proposed budget for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office as the debate over policing has resurfaced nationally.
Following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas and then the police shooting of an unarmed suspect in Akron, Ohio, News4JAX is looking at the JSO proposed budget which is nearly $40 million higher than last year.
Here’s what we know about the budget JSO has proposed to the City this cycle:
It’s around $37.5 million higher than last year and none of that goes to new officers. The interim sheriff told News4JAX it has grant money handling the hiring of new officers, but the budget is for things like more staff in the jail and technology to do things like open locked cell phones seized during investigations.
But this comes as the debate we’ve seen in recent years over police funding has started to surface again. After a suspect in Akron, Ohio was shot 60 times by police protests have swelled around the nation, that includes one late last week in Jacksonville where activists are questioning the funding of police agencies.
“We’re fighting for people’s budget. Which reallocates funds to mental health services. Places all around the country are fighting for the same thing,” said Monique Sampson, Jacksonville Community Action Committee.
But that sentiment is not shared by everyone. News4JAX Insiders have flooded the comments of articles on the JSO budget with differing opinions.
“You all are complaining about the daily shootings here in Jacksonville and when JSO has a plan, you are complaining because they need more money to fight crime. You can’t have both ways. If nothing improves after they get the $37 million, then whine away,” one person wrote.
“Nothing has improved since the last increase, so not expecting it to improve this time. Maybe if we make them accountable things like change. Let’s try something different because throwing money at the problem isn’t fixing anything,” wrote another.
So now JSO will move forward through the city’s budget process looking to get approval for a $540-million budget.
And all of this is happening in the middle of the election season for the next sheriff of Jacksonville.