JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville city leaders are considering a plan that would help boost security in Riverside along King Street.
Residents have reported illegal drinking, street racing and guns inside businesses, and council members said the unruly behavior is getting out of hand.
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That is why city leaders are moving forward with a plan to hire off-duty officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to patrol the area.
JSO’s crime map around King Street offers some perspective.
In the past 6 months, there have been 124 incidents, including assaults, car thefts and loitering, within a half-mile of the area between Park and College streets.
Councilman Jimmy Peluso, who represents the Riverside area, said he’s getting reports of people drinking illegally and partying late -- with guns involved in some cases.
“We have people that are partying much later than when the bars are open, that’s incredibly loud and obnoxious to neighbors,” Peluso said. “We have a lot of establishments that have bouncers, but there is no JSO presence.”
Jacksonville’s Neighborhoods Committee unanimously voted Monday to set aside $10,000 to boost security along King Street. That money, which is matched by $10,000 from local businesses, will pay for up to two officers on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Councilman Ken Amaro asked whether businesses should close earlier, but Peluso said he didn’t want to hurt their pockets.
“They need to make a buck,” he said. “I’m not here to put the hammer down to say, ‘You shut down at a certain hour.’ I don’t think we’ve reached that point. I think this is something that has the right amount of touch where we’re getting more officers involved, we’re really showing our hand and telling people ‘Hey, don’t stay past a certain time,’ but we also don’t want to harm the businesses.”
The plan still needs to go to the full council for a vote.
If approved, the pilot program would last four months.