JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Thursday launched a new website to help police close the case on unsolved crimes.
“This is another major investigative tool for us to help us gather that support and let people know we can’t do this alone,” Sheriff T.K. Waters said.
Sheriff Waters said the “Unsolved Crimes Database” is where JSO will post evidence, videos, photos and other pieces of information, in non-homicide cases, for the public to view online. Members of the public can type in tips for investigators to follow up on by clicking the “submit tip” button. Sheriff Waters said this site will be updated regularly to help JSO solve crimes in Jacksonville.
Police are asking the public to periodically review the images to see if they recognize the suspects.
Click on any image on the website and it takes you to another page that gives you a description of the crime and the location of where the crime occurred.
“This critical information and the information we’re going to give on this page is going help us solve crimes and make Jacksonville a safer place for all,” Waters said.
Eunice Barnum is the President of the Sherwood Forest-Paradise Park Community Association. She’s all on board with identifying and reporting suspected criminals, especially violent criminals.
“It should help solve a lot of the problems. A lot of the murders and who’s committing them,” Barnum said.
Crime in her Sherwood Forest neighborhood is a good example of why she supports the unsolved crimes website. According to this JSO map which was adjusted to show reported crimes within a one-mile radius of her home. Since January, there have been four murders, a justified homicide, four incidents in which bullets were fired into a home or car, 27 assaults, an arson, 54 thefts and 34 burglaries. If the crimes are unsolved and the suspect was recorded on surveillance video, there’s a chance his or her image is on the webpage or will eventually end up there.
“It just makes you feel safe to know there is something there that you can use versus not having anything,” Barnum said.
Barnum said her one suggestion to JSO is to hold a public seminar for older people who are not tech-savvy and may not fully understand how to navigate the website.
This will not replace First Coast Crime Stoppers, but will operate in a way to help identify individuals who may be linked to local crimes.