Q: What can you tell us about the Sheriff’s Office’s new training facility?
A: The complex is conveniently located off Agricultural Center Drive, near State Road 16 and Interstate 95. This venture actually started with the previous administration and we just opened in the last few months. Previously, our deputy training took place in a facility that we rented from the school district. This new facility will be a better use of taxpayer dollars.
Q: What is contained at the new facility?
A: There are two ranges, one of which is the primary range for our deputies. We need to keep our 360 deputies in law enforcement and our 150 deputies who work in corrections proficient with firearms. The second, smaller range is a guest range for other entities and partners in law enforcement, like the FBI out of Jacksonville, as well as for specialized teams like our SWAT team.
The large building on the property houses our 911 communications center for SJSO and St. Johns County Fire and Rescue, as well as dispatching for the St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach Police Departments and the National Parks. Last year we had 300,000 calls just to SJSO and 95,000 were 911 calls. That comes out to about 678 calls a day, so it is very busy.
Also in this half of the building is our real time crime center with our criminal analysts. It’s their job to track crime as it is in progress in St. Johns County. This is one of the tools we use to deter crime within St. Johns County.
The other half of the building is our training division. Every member of SJSO, approximately 900 full time and part time employees, receives some type of training here. We have a number of classrooms of different sizes to accommodate many sizes of groups. It is more cost effective to bring the training to us than to send all of our employees out.
The property also contains a state certified driving track to keep our deputies concurrent with their required skills for emergency vehicle operations.
Q: What are the future plans for the complex?
A: The property is a 45 acre parcel, so we still have available space for future use. My plan as sheriff is to continue to move more services here and provide a healthy work environment with everyone under one roof. We are spread out over 20 buildings; basically whatever building the county had available, they put us in. My current office is in the old medical examiner’s office.
The first department we intend to relocate here is our fleet services. They are currently located in the old Wise Potato Chip factory in a building that used to house raw potatoes.
Q: Do you have any plans for substations?
A: I’m in favor of co-locating with the St. Johns County Fire Department to save taxpayer dollars. Currently in the works with the fire department are joint locations in SW St. Johns County, Silverleaf, and Nocatee, where an addition to the existing station for our use is in the design phase. It is my goal to have administrative staff work at these locations to make it easy for community members to visit and get assistance.
Q: Can you remind readers of the non-emergency number for the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office?
A: Our non-emergency number is (904) 824-8304. I’d recommend that community members program this number into their phones for future non-emergency use. But of course, if you forget this number, you can always call 911 and we will determine the correct routing for your call.
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.
