Q: As a “walking around” leader, where are some of the places you’ve been able to walk in your agency this month?
A: As of the date of this interview [Feb. 18], we are 44 days into office. I perform leadership by walking around and that includes things like walking through our human resources department. At least one to two times per week I walk through our entire jail — a distance of one and a half miles — and talk to all of our staff. I even stopped on the way home from a youth sporting event and backed up a deputy sheriff for a traffic stop one evening. I feel like I owe it to our citizens; they want an active and engaged sheriff.

Q: Have you been able to attend any meetings with the Board of County Commissioners or the School Board?
A: Yes. In fact, now at the beginning of each Board of County Commissioners meeting, I or my designee present a Public Safety Update. This addition to the meeting is the result of a bill introduced by Commissioner Jeremiah Blocker and passed by a 5 – 0 vote. I will also stay for any agenda items during the meeting if necessary. I have assigned one of my captains to each of the five County Commission/School Board districts to act as liaison. I have given two of the commissioners a tour of our jail and it is my goal to meet all five commissioners. 

I’ve met with Superintendent Tim Forson and staff to discuss the budget. Since we provide the Youth Resource Officers for schools, it is important for us all to be on the same page and do the right thing for the community. 

Q: Do you have any updates on the body camera pilot program?
A: We just finished this pilot program, which ran for 30 days from mid-January to mid-February. Deputies in the Northwest district wore body cameras for all calls for service. Now, I’ve given them 30 days to put together a presentation to our staff to include researching pricing of the body cameras. I’m also interested in hearing opinions and suggestions from the community about this; interested citizens can let me know via the contact information below. Then I will be able to make a decision. Body cameras are not a budgeted item for this year, so I will need to decide if we perhaps buy a certain number of them now using other funds or wait for next year.

Q: Do you have anything else to share with northern St. Johns County?
A: I want citizens to know that we want to have robust community involvement. We are attending youth sporting events and are interested in attending any other youth events that the community suggests. For instance, in southwest St. Johns County, we have started a boxing program that has attracted 100 kids. In the Northwest, we have an upcoming soccer match with our officers playing versus the Bartram Trail High School varsity squad. We are trying to be innovative, creative, and involved.

Q: What is the best way for our readers to contact you with any questions or suggestions about this article?

A: They can email me at sheriff@sjso.org or call me at (904) 824-8304. Also, our website, www.sjso.org has a wealth of resources, from alarm registration to Crime Stoppers to our Neighbors app.

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