Jacksonville Sheriff

As Sheriff, I will enforce the law. We need to arrest those who break the law. However, I’ll also make changes to focus more on prevention and intervention so we can prevent more crimes from happening in the first place.

I recently retired as Commander of JSO Patrol Zone 2 which covers Arlington and the Beaches. I led my team of officers to a historic 16% reduction in crime, far more than any other zone in Jacksonville. This is comprised on 34% drop in gunfire incidents, 33% reduction in burglaries to businesses and 21% less home invasion robberies.

We accomplished this by being committed to treating the men and women under my command with respect and gratitude for their courage and service. We enforced the law, but changed the traditional way we were policing — which has clearly not been working — to one more focused on people, neighborhoods and communities.

While I am an avid proponent of the 2nd Amendment, I feel strongly that Law Enforcement should not be further politicized than it unfortunately already is. While the role of Sheriff is not one that participates in the law-making process, I am committed to serving as an advisor to any public official that wishes to be informed on matters related to public safety.

I do not support the formation of a Civilian Review Board (CRB). I have shared countless discussions with people all over our city and the concept of a CRB means different things to different people. But what I find is at the very core of the issue is a fundamental distrust for law enforcement.

As Sheriff, I will bring several efforts into my approach to building strong relationships based in trust, effective communication, and transparency. The people will hear from me on any critical incident. I will be visible, accessible, and accountable to all members of the community as I feel a true leader should be.

I have proudly served the people of Duval County for 24 years – 18 of those in a leadership role in various capacities throughout the agency. I have a Master’s in criminology, I earned every rank available - Sgt. & Lt. I was Executive Director of the Police Athletic League, JSO’s signature nonprofit organization. And Sheriff Mike Williams recognized my strong leadership capabilities and appointed me to Assistant Chief.

So I know Law Enforcement. AND not only do I know Law Enforcement, I know how to LEAD.

I also know PUBLIC SAFETY is the #1 concern to citizens all over our city and it should be. Every single day violence touches us all, we see it, we hear it and we feel it. And, it has been like this for far too long – actually it IS WORSE and it is UNACCEPTABLE. It is time for change.

Last year, we saw a breakthrough and as the Zone Commander of the Arlington-Beaches Area, my officers and I delivered a historic 16% reduction in crime.

Just imagine how we can change our city, our quality of life and our future when we do that all across Duval County ... It can be done with the leadership I have shown to work. We don’t have time to wait for someone to get caught up to speed for an agency of more than 3,000 employees, with a 500 million dollar budget. We don’t have time to wait for someone to gain the respect of the new generation of officers and build the relationships within the community.

I know WHAT needs to be done. I know HOW to do it. And I know WHO to do it with -- because I’ve been doing it -- for decades.

I am the CHANGE the men and women of JSO need and the people of Duval deserve.

Citizens have a choice - we can elect a proven leader to deliver results OR choose the plans of what others will TRY TO DO.

We do not have time to wait.

A FIGHTER FOR EVERYONE: By all accounts, I should not be here today. The road I traveled to get here had so many detours. However, I am a fighter - I have fought to combat crime. I have fought to prevent crime. I have fought for victims of crime. And I am committed to continuing to fight every day as your next sheriff.

RESULTS IN DRIVING OUT VIOLENT CRIME: As the Zone Commander of the Arlington/Beaches area, I led a record breaking 16% reduction. This is comprised on 34% drop in gunfire incidents, 33% reduction in burglaries to businesses and 21% less home invasion robberies. These results happened because of the dedicated officers I led, the businesses they partnered with and the residents they walked with.

COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY: I believe it is important for the people we serve to know us…and it is just as important for us know them. That is why I put my officers and myself on the streets and in our neighborhoods to build relationships, create trust, and foster respect. The businesses got to know us, and we knew them. We were in schools, parks, and churches. We attended community events, and we mentored the children. We connected with our neighbors. It will no longer be US verses THEM, my administration will be about WE - we will go Forward Together!

• Focused deterrence with intelligence-led policing practices and strategies.

• Staff our investigations division with more detectives so that each case can receive the proper amount of attention

• I do not support the creation of a citizens review board. Cases with officer involved shootings should be fact driven investigations and cannot be based or led by emotions.
• Citizens have the right to view all information after a case has been fully investigated and brought to a conclusion.
• I am in favor of naming officers if they can be named legally according to statute.