JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In Duval County, law enforcement officers will be “more forward-facing.” That’s the phrase from leaders at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office under the direction of Sheriff T.K. Waters.
Recently appointed to chief of patrol and chief of patrol support are Jaime Eason and Jennifer Short, respectively. Their promotions under Waters shine a light on the diversity of leadership in a new JSO.
“I think things are different, that it’s more forward-facing. As you can see, Sheriff Waters in the last two weeks has been very vocal and out in front of the public,” Eason said.
Eason and Short spoke about changes they’ve seen in the few short weeks of Waters’ administration.
They are also examples of a progressive move. Eason is the first woman appointed as chief over the entire patrol division.
It’s one of the biggest jobs in the agency, overseeing about half of the sworn law enforcement officers.
“Just a fantastic group of officers,” Eason said. “This is the best job in the agency as far as I’m concerned.”
Short was also named chief last month, taking on leadership of patrol support. She’s the first Indigenous person named chief in JSO’s history.
“Patrol support is another facet of patrol, but we’re specialized units.,” Short explained. “Any time there’s an incident or a call that requires special units like aviation, canine, we have the motors for special events, traffic DUI.”
Both chiefs are longtime law enforcers, starting at JSO in 1999.
Both women say they’ve earned the roles. They’re proud of it — and the promotion by Waters.
“Regardless of … that I’m a female or not, that he (Sheriff Waters) says ‘Hey, you know what, I trust that you would be the best person in this position,’” Eason said. “I love that because I can then say, hey, you know — to the young officers that are females or just young kids — ‘Hey, work hard, and you can get to where you need to get and lead.’”
“We have a lot of great diversity at JSO. And the sheriff — he loves that, he wants to promote that. And I think that we are evidence of that.” Short said. “Very proud that he has chosen me to be a part of this.”
You can watch the full interviews with Eason, Short and all of our guests on This Week in Jacksonville at 9 a.m. Sunday on Channel 4, at noon Sunday on CW17 and streaming on News4JAX+.