Jacksonville police remind San Marco residents to lock car doors

Lt. Jimmy Judge, other JSO officers go door to door in historic neighborhood

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – San Marco may be a popular, historic neighborhood in Jacksonville, but like so many areas in the city, it too deals with crime. 

Even with all the reminders and campaigns, people are still leaving valuables and guns in unlocked cars. That's why Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Lt. Jimmy Judge hit the pavement Wednesday with several other officers in an effort to prevent crime.

They went door to door, dropping off pamphlets and reminding people to lock their cars at night because the San Marco area has seen its fair share of vehicle burglaries.

According to the JSO crime map, between January and June 20, there have been 12 vehicle break-ins, two vehicles thefts and more than 20 petty thefts, some involving cars, reported.

That’s why JSO Lt. Jimmy Judge and several officers were on foot going door to door reminding people to lock their cars at night. 

"They had an auto theft last week and luckily, we caught the suspect on this street down here," Judge told News4Jax. "They have had a few auto burglaries in here. The cars were all unlocked.”

Police call that "NSFE." It stands for "No Signs of Forced Entry," meaning thieves had no problem stealing valuables from unlocked cars. Some of those valuables were more than just purses and wallets left in plain view. 

“Every month, just in our geographic area, we have guns taken out of unlocked cars," Judge said.

Guns that, according to JSO, might be used to commit some of the violent crimes happening throughout parts of the city.

Police feel that by reminding people to lock their vehicles and not keep guns in their car overnight, it would reduce the number of guns getting into the wrong hands. 

According to the JSO, so far this year, more than 220 guns have been reported stolen from unlocked vehicles.

The Sheriff's Office has also been issuing nightly reminders to lock car doors on social media, using the hashtag #9PMRoutine.


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