Voters meet Jacksonville sheriff candidates

6 of 7 candidates sit down to talk about vision for police force

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Voters had a chance to meet candidates for Jacksonville's sheriff Thursday evening. Six of the seven candidates on the ballot sat down with the public at a Mandarin church to talk about their vision for Jacksonville's police force.

For many people attending, it was their first chance to find out who these men are and why they're running.

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Most people who showed up talked about how the next sheriff will handle a $400 million budget and a staff of thousands that has been plagued by cuts.

"For me experience counts the most, experience and qualifications. We have a $400 million budget that they're going to deal with, 3,200 employees. In order to be able to manage both resources, I think you need experience," said Gregory Burton.

"Sheriff (John) Rutherford has had to let officers go and all those community service officers, crime (has) gone way up again. We've had so many murders. I think there's not enough patrolmen driving a car or walking the beat," said Betty Wolfe.

Another issue on the public's mind was relations between police and certain communities. Burton said in light of unrest in cities like Ferguson, Missouri and New York City, a new sheriff needs to know how to engage communities that may not like police very much.

"One thing I'd really like to hear a candidate say is I'm willing to sit down and listen to what people that oppose what the police are doing now in order to the community, what the tactics may be and listen to those people," he said.

Another issue talked about is violent crime in the city. While manpower was talked about, there was also the statement that Jacksonville's violent crime problem starts with the drug trade and that's what needs to be targeted.


About the Authors:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.

Emmy-nominated journalist Kristin Cason joined the News 6 team in June 2016.