JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Four months after Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters unveiled his vision for the future of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to address hiring throughout the department and other issues, the Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that it was awarded a $5 million grant from the Department of Justice.
Waters said in July at a Town Hall meeting that the city needed more officers as Jacksonville is continuing to grow. He also said adding more officers on the streets was vital since he wanted to focus on community policing.
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Waters said 216 officers were needed to be hired but he was only requesting 80 for next year.
The COPS Hiring Program grant, however, will fund half of the new community policing positions without the expenditure of taxpayer dollars to hire 40 officers in fiscal year 2023.
“The project you will implement with these award funds contributes to the mission of the COPS Office and the greater goal of reducing crime and building trust between law enforcement and communities served,” the release said.