By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
Kevin Cronin has been a resident of NW St. Johns County for 19 years — and in March he was promoted by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office to Commander of the Northwest District.
“I’ve lived in the Northwest my entire career with the sheriff’s office,” Cronin said. “I like living where I work and being a part of the community.”
As commander, Cronin is responsible for the approximately 50 personnel assigned to the Northwest District, including patrol (which has four shifts to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week) a detective group and support personnel. The group operates mostly out of a satellite office in the Northwest Annex, although the main office for the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is in St. Augustine.
“I try to spend my day with our district personnel, encouraging them and making sure they have everything they need to be effective in their jobs,” Cronin said. “I also welcome the opportunity to meet the citizens and show up to community functions where law enforcement presence is needed.”
The Northwest District is a large one, but according to Cronin, it was recently made smaller to improve response times. The current district extends from the Duval County line in the north to County Road 208 in the south and then from the St. Johns River to east to Interstate 95.
Cronin said the biggest challenge is the growth in the Northwest, which is unlike any of the other three districts of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. He said calls for service are higher in the Northwest than any other district.
“WIth the growth comes the convenience of things like shopping, but that can also bring crime,” Cronin said. “We see a lot of crime coming from Jacksonville, especially to the northern part of St. Johns County and we are trying to be proactive to fend this off and maintain our quality of life here.”
Cronin has served in many roles in his 19 years with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. He started out working in patrol with stints in the investigations department, special victims unit, narcotics and the DEA task force before being promoted to supervisory positions in patrol, special victims unit, internet crimes against children and the intelligence group.
“The goal for our district and, really, our agency, is that we all live where we work and try to attend business organization meetings, churches and sporting events — we want our personnel to be a visible part of the community,” Cronin said.
For non-emergencies or day-to-day contact with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s office, call (904) 824-8304. For emergencies, dial 911.
Photo courtesy Kevin Cronin
NW District Commander Kevin Cronin recently attended the grand opening of Home Depot in Durbin Pavilion.
