JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It's been a little more than a week since Daniel Rowe was shot to death while taking out the trash in a dark alley behind a Riverside restaurant.
The 20-year-old's funeral is set for Saturday.
So far, no one has been arrested and police continue to search for clues.
Since the shooting, JEA has installed three streetlights in the area in an attempt to make it safer. The utility made the changes in just two days at the request of a city councilman who works across the street from the restaurant.
That quick action prompted News4Jax to take a look at other situations like this and how long it takes residents to get a response.
A list of other complaints on file with the city show not all requests are met that quickly.
Susan Pelletier said she's been trying for months to get the city to put up streetlights near her home on the Westside.
"It's got so bad that we put in a security system with cameras," Pelletier said.
She has not heard anything from the city since she made the request.
The same goes for people in a Northside neighborhood near Ribault Scenic Drive. One woman, who asked not to be identified, said it's very scary there at night.
"It's extremely dark coming home at night, and I just felt unsafe, so I just tried to follow the protocol I was told to follow," the woman said.
Since last October, 126 requests have been made for streetlights. It's up to JEA to install them, but the city foots the bill.
Since October, JEA has installed 22 new lights.
DOCUMENTS: Streetlight requests in Jacksonville |
Streetlight installations in Jacksonville
Public Works Director Jim Robinson said the city investigates each request. He said the idea behind streetlights is to ensure traffic safety, but in cases like Rowe's murder in Riverside, street crime adds another dimension. He said that's why JEA responded so quickly at the city's request.
"Certainly when there is a either a crime issue or high accident volume -- that kind of thing in that location -- those (requests) are going to float to the top," Robinson said.
After Rowe's murder, Riverside Councilman Jim Love was able to intervene. He said he was surprised at how quickly the city responded. Just hours after he called Public Works, the lights were going up.
"Put in the recommendation. If they haven't had anybody answer, then call or then invite your city councilman to come out and take a look at it, because it could be that it does need it," Love said. "You just have to measure how important it is. If there is a life at stake, then that becomes very important."