JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams pounded the pavement Saturday to meet and greet the people living in Springfield. His goal is to listen to concerns of the residents and work with them to reduce crime.
Williams said there have been a lot of improvements in the Springfield area and criminal activity is down for now. He wants to keep it that way, even when the school year is over and young people have too much time on their hands.
"The turnaround in Springfield is largely due to engagement. And that’s what we’re doing today, (to) encourage that; keep that going," Williams said.
The sheriff said more and more people are buying houses in the area and reporting suspicious activity.
"The area is better, and I've been here a long time," Springfield resident Mary Peterson said.
Williams is using this walk and others to remind people to stay alert going into the summer months when there is often an uptick in violence and crime with young people out of school.
"You have thousands of people with time on their hands. Obviously, keep them busy. That’s the goal, be it summer program (or) after school program. There’s lots that are out there. Just keep kids busy; away from things that get them in trouble and get them on the wrong path," Williams said.
The sheriff said the number of shootings are down in Jacksonville in recent months, but he's not getting overconfident because the job is never over.
Williams does the walks about once a month in different areas of Jacksonville and uses Springfield as a model of considerable improvement in the crime rate.