JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sheriff T.K. Waters hit the streets in the Sherwood Forest neighborhood Saturday for a second community walk in hopes of fighting crime in Jacksonville.
Waters and other Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office leaders visited homes and talked with people in the community about their concerns.
“I think we build relationships, that’s how you do it. I get to know you guys. We build relationships by knowing you guys. I get to know our community, and they get stronger,” Waters said.
This is the second time JSO has hosted a community walk this year. In January, Waters and other leaders walked the streets of the New Town neighborhood to make their presence known in the community.
Waters said reports of gunshots in the area are part of the reason he chose to visit the Sherwood Forest neighborhood where Carolyn Scott said she’s lived for more than 50 years.
“When I first moved here, the place was quiet. Now there’s a lot of activity. You’ve got drugs and everything out here, a lot of shooting,” Scott said.
A recent poll from the University of North Florida shows crime continues to be the number one concern among Jacksonville voters, which Waters said is a sign there’s a lot more work to be done.
“I’ve talked to many of the candidates, many of the city council candidates. We’ve talked about the necessity for help. I’m not talking about just on the street. I’m talking about corrections. I’m talking about our community service officers, our 911 call takers and dispatchers. We need help all across the board,” Waters said.
Vanessa Cullins Hopkins lives in Sherwood Forest as well and tagged along with JSO for the walk.
“By doing these walks, we experience community policing. We know who to go to when we have questions, and also when we think there are problems in the neighborhood,” Hopkins said.
For Scott, initiatives like this give her hope that the neighborhood can be restored to what it once was when she first moved here.
