JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters held a Neighborhood Crime Prevention Walk Saturday morning, where he had the opportunity to engage with the Beacon Hills and Harbor communities, and share his reaction to the police union and the city of Jacksonville agreeing to a preliminary deal that increases the starting pay for officers.
For more than a year and a half, Waters and JSO have held neighborhood crime prevention walks. The latest one took place off Fort Caroline Road.
“People are really appreciative that they get a chance to talk to us and see the actual engagement that we actually have,” Waters said.
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Latasha Hobbs has been going on as many of these walks as she can. She lost her son, Maurice, back in 2017 — two days after his 18th birthday.
No arrests have been made in his case.
“Absolutely there is an impact. I am able to put my son’s flyer into the hands of community members that I never met before,” Hobbs said. “Now they are saying Maurice’s name. They are taking pictures of him and his flyers and they are sharing it on their social media. That means everything. It is all about spreading the awareness. It is all about community members and the world saying his name.”
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As JSO patrols the streets, more officers may be soon hitting the streets, after the Fraternal Order of Police and the city reached a tentative deal earlier this week that significantly raises the starting pay for police and corrections officers.
“This is my 33rd year with the agency and we have never seen an increase like this and it is very much needed,” Waters said. “We were losing when it came to agencies around us and in a lot of the larger cities in the state of Florida… I think the mayor recognized that and I commend the mayor’s office and her team. I commend FOP.”
Excited to sign this historic agreement with @TheRealFOP530 today and support our police and corrections officers. There’s nothing more important than the health and safety of our community. pic.twitter.com/rBC31pLp18
— Mayor Donna Deegan (@MayorDeegan) June 25, 2024
If that deal ultimately goes through as is, the starting salary for a police officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office would go from $52,000 a year to more than $65,000 a year.
For corrections officers, that rate would go from $48,000 a year to $60,000.
The deal that needs to officially be approved next month also gives civil service protection and a full retirement system.
Waters said more people are putting on the badge in Jacksonville as the agency has roughly 300 vacancies right now.
“With these competitive wages, it is going to allow us to grow and be more responsive and get there quicker,” Waters said.
READ | Jacksonville police union, city reach preliminary agreement to raise police pay 13%
A monumental deal -- the Sheriff calls it-- that can possibly draw more people to JSO.
“Police are very important. Working together is how we are able to solve my son’s unsolved homicide case. It is how we are able to drive down crime,” Hobbs said.