Jacksonville Sheriff's Office


The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is a joint city-county law enforcement agency, which has primary responsibility for law enforcement, investigation, and corrections within the consolidated City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida, United States. Duval County includes the incorporated cities of Jacksonville, Atlantic Beach, Baldwin, Jacksonville Beach, and Neptune Beach; the beach cities have their own police departments as well.
The sheriff's office also performs the corrections duties for the county. The current sheriff is Michael Williams, in office since July 1, 2015. John T. Rutherford retired as Sheriff on June 30, 2015 after serving since July 1, 2003. The JSO is one of the largest departments in the Southeastern United States, with 3,832 employees. Its headquarters is 501 E. Bay Street Jacksonville, Florida 32202.

Mission

According to the Sheriff's Office, its Mission is "To serve and protect in partnership with our community."
The Vision of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is "A crime-free environment, driven by partnerships with empowered citizens, fostering a vibrant community and the success of all individuals."
The Core Values of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office are: "Always Improving; Community Focused; Respect for Each Other; and Worthy of Trust."

History

Jacksonville Police Department: 1822-1968

The first sheriff to be appointed in Jacksonville was James Dell in 1822 when Duval County was incorporated. A town ordinance in 1845 required all free males living in Jacksonville to participate in evening patrol duty. From 1865 to 1869 law enforcement was enforced by the continued occupation of the Union Army and their provost marshal and guard. A civilian Marshal was appointed as head of the department in 1871 along with the creation of the Captain of Police rank. The mayor appointed the captain who would then be confirmed by the city council. In 1887 the captain of police became known as chief of police. A new charter was also established in 1887 creating a board of police commissioners. The department was composed mostly of African Americans. House Bill No. 4 was passed by the Florida State Legislature allowing the Governor to abolish all offices in Jacksonville and to make new appointments to fill the vacancies. The police force in 1889 consisted of a chief, three officers and 24 patrolmen. The first patrol wagon, pulled by two horses, was used in 1895. In 1904, as the automobile became more popular, the speed limit was set at 6 miles per hour. The first automobile patrol car was established in 1911.

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office: 1968-present

In 1967 a mandate was given by residents of Jacksonville and Duval County with 65 percent of the votes cast in favor of consolidating the city and county governments. On October 1, 1968, the two governmental bodies were replaced with "a single unified government", the new organization, the Office of the Sheriff - Jacksonville Police, paralleled the name of the new jurisdiction. The four other municipalities within Duval County retained their own police departments. However, the Baldwin city council voted to disband their police department by 2007; at midnight on March 13, 2006, the sheriff's office took over responsibility of police services.
Starting in the late 1980s, the agency adopted the Glock 17 9x19mm pistol as the new sidearm. Police Officer's now carry the Glock 22.40 caliber. The Agency is transitioning back to the Glock 17 9mm sidearm.

Elected Sheriffs

The JSO is headed by the sheriff, a Florida constitutional officer elected to a four-year term. The sheriff appoints his own senior staff from Undersheriff to Assistant Chiefs. All sworn members of the JSO are sworn in by the sheriff and are considered under the Florida constitution as his/her deputies. All sworn members of the JSO are Law Enforcement Officers or Correctional Officers with all powers allowed by state law to carry firearms and make arrest. JSO also employs Community Service Officers, who are unsworn personnel that respond to primarily traffic-related incidents not requiring the full police powers of a sworn officer.

Departments

The Sheriff's Office is divided into five departments, each sub-divided into divisions, sections, units, zones, and squads. Each department is commanded by a director with the rank director of a department. Each division is commanded by a chief. The department and its sections are as follows.

Department of Patrol & Enforcement

There are three divisions in this department, and is headed by the director of patrol and enforcement
Patrol East Division
Commanded by the chief of Patrol East.
Commanded by the chief of Patrol West.
Commanded by the chief.
There are three divisions in this department, and the director holds the title of director of the Department of Investigations & Homeland Security.
Detective Division
The Detective Division is under the direction of the chief of detectives who is responsible for the overall operation of the division. The Detective Division comprises a Crimes Against Property Section and a Crimes Against Persons Section, both under the command of an assistant chief.
The Homeland Security & Narcotics/Vice Division is commanded by a chief. It encompasses units and squads that include: Aviation; Bomb Squad; Canine; Dive Team; Homeland Security; Hostage Negotiators; Gang Intervention; Narcotics; Warehouse and Forfeiture Unit. Detectives also work with the North Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area ; the division also includes the Violent Crimes/Narcotics Task Force and Internet crimes against children investigations. The division has two sections, both led by an assistant chief.
A director leads the Department of Police Services. There are three divisions in this department.

Department of Personnel & Professional Standards

A Director leads the Department of Personnel & Professional Standards. There are two divisions in this department.
1. Human Resources Division-Chief
2. Professional Standards Division-Chief
The director of this department holds the title of director of corrections. The Department of Corrections has more than 600 state certified corrections officers and civilian personnel with three correctional facilities in Duval County. The largest is the John E. Goode Pretrial Detention Facility located in downtown Jacksonville. It is a twelve-story building with a capacity of 2,189. The others are the Montgomery Correctional Center ; and the Community Transitions Center. The Department of Corrections maintains many various specialized units, staffed by Corrections Officer, such as;
There are two divisions within this department: