JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools announced a new chief of school police on Wednesday.
The Duval County School Board named Jackson Short the next person to take over the role after former police chief Greg Burton had to step down for medical reasons.
“I am humbled and honored to serve in such an impactful role and lead a stellar team of law enforcement professionals who single-mindedly work each day to protect children and ensure our schools are safe,” Short said.
The University of North Florida and American Military University alum is a veteran law enforcement officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, where he served as a department director, division chief and police lieutenant.
But you might recognize his name for another reason. It came up in the high-profile suicide of Republican mega-donor Kent Stermon.
Short was not involved in the case in any way, but he was mentioned in Stermon’s note left for loved ones. Stermon wrote: “I love you both too much to put you through this. You are better without me ... Go find your version of Jackson Short and be happy!”
The State Attorney’s Office, where Short served as a chief investigator, told News4JAX that Short and his family were personal friends with the Stermons for many years. Again, he was not involved in the investigation and was never suspected of doing anything wrong.
The district released the following statement about the Stermon connection:
We’re aware of Chief Short’s friendship with the Stermon family.
We did an intensive background check in collaboration with our partners at JSO and the State Attorney’s office.
In addition, representatives from JSO and the police departments for Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach participated in our screening process.
We are very confident with Chief Short’s credentials, integrity, and ability to lead our school police team.
Short also has an extensive background in leadership training programs such as the FBI Florida Executive Development Seminar, and interim Superintendent Dr. Dana Kriznar says Short is the “perfect person to continue building on the success of Chief Burton both in implementing strong strategies for school safety and generating incredible enthusiasm throughout the department for the special mission of school police.”
Assistant Chief Sean MacMaster was the interim police chief for the time being.