JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – So far in 2024, there have been 38 homicides and 26 murders in Jacksonville.
Over the first five months of last year, there were 62 homicides and 43 murders, meaning there has been a 40% drop in murders since 2023.
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Right now, nine deaths have not been classified, so that percentage could change.
RELATED: Most Jacksonville neighborhoods saw fewer killings in 2023. One ZIP code spiked by 32%
But even though there has been a big drop in the number of murders, people on the Westside told News4JAX said it feels like crime is worse than in the past and said they don’t feel safe. Others said they have seen a difference.
The sinking murder numbers seem to be a trend nationwide.
AJ Jordan of M.A.D D.A.D.S Jacksonville Chapter said he believes it is Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters and his approach to neighborhood crime fighting that is making a difference.
“What our sheriff’s been doing, going out, talking to communities. I mean, Mad Dads has been out waiting for most of them. Almost all of them really. And the way that the sheriff is engaging with the community. I think they responded to that, you know, and they actually when he, when the officers out there taking notes, they actually follow up with that. And that makes a difference,” Jordan said.
There have been changes in local crime-fighting groups in Jacksonville. Cure Violence is no longer here, the social group that aimed to mediate crime before it happened.
As for JSO, it’s the largest funded department in the city and budget talks are looming. Each year the sheriff has been asking for more money and more officers.
This week he will again make a plea to the mayor’s office as Mayor Donna Deegan drafts a budget for next year.