Jacksonville Sheriff announces $10,000 bonuses to recruit corrections officers

JACKSONVILLE (FLV) – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is offering $10,000 bonuses to recruit corrections officers.

Sheriff T.K. Waters’ new program offers the bonus spread out over a period of time to help them begin a career in the field.

“It is our duty to invest in those who choose to dedicate their lives to public service,” Waters said.

A spokesperson for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office told Florida’s Voice Waters is “excited” about the impact this initiative will have on growing JSO’s corrections facility staff.

The bonus program went into effect in January and will run until June 30, 2023.

JSO is conducting two classes for correctional officer recruitment. The first class is on March 13 and the application and pre employment screening deadline is on Feb. 8. The other class will be on June 19 and the application deadline is May 10.

The classes are each capped out at 45 recruits per class. JSO said if the initiative is an “overwhelming success” and if they surpass those cap rates, they will add a third class.

The $10,000 signing bonus for both certified and non-certified applicants will be disbursed in the following schedule:

• $2,500 upon completion of the Corrections Training Academy.
• $2,500 upon completion of the Corrections Field Training Officer Program.
• $5,000 at the end of probation.

The spokesperson for the sheriff said the initiative shows how much value they place on their correctional officers.

“We’re very excited about this program. It shows the level of support and value we placed on our COs. They are a group of people that have committed their lives to public service, but often times don’t receive the recognition they deserve,” a JSO spokesperson said. These bonuses should emphasize to the public the important role these officers play on the overall security and safety of our city.”

“They are regular people who have chosen to answer the call to service. And just like a regular cop, they go to work in uniform every day, working hard to keep Jacksonville safe,” they said.

The spokesperson explained the “Genesis” of the initiative. They want to “encourage” people and welcome correctional officers with “open arms” and give them the “tools they need” to be successful.

They said JSO is “willing to invest in people that are willing to answer to that call to service” and that becoming a correctional officer is a “great” career path for young people because you don’t need a college degree. They explained this initiative can provide them with a “strong foundation” to grow in a career.

“It’s a great position for someone that’s looking to begin a noble and respectable career path. They will be rewarded with a real feeling of accomplishment and responsibility knowing that day after day, they will get the chance to directly impact people’s lives. And that’s something they can take with them for the rest of their life,” the spokesperson said.

Five correctional officers are set to graduate from the academy and be sworn-in Thursday evening, making them eligible for the bonus.

Waters is the first JSO sheriff to ever swear in correctional officers as detention deputies, according to the sheriff’s office. This gives them authority to serve arrest warrants on inmates in jail.

Anyone interested in joining the academy can go to their website.

Sheriff T.K. Waters talks transparency, plans to reduce crime in exclusive interview

In an exclusive interview with Waters, he discussed his emphasis to support law enforcement and his efforts to recruit more officers.

Gov. Ron DeSantis enacted a program that offers a one-time $5,000 signing bonus for newly employed law enforcement officers in Florida.

“It’s been helping us quite a bit. People are moving to Jacksonville in droves. I heard today, about 85 per day we had gotten as high as 120 per day. A lot of folks are coming because Florida’s such a great place to live, our governor has made it a great place to live and they’re coming here and they’re applying,” Waters said. “We’re hiring, we’ve hired people from New York, we’ve hired people from all over the place.”

Other initiatives Waters spoke about include redrawing zone maps to reduce crime in Jacksonville which, according to Waters, have been the same for more than 20 years. He said the department has already begun working to make sure zones are determined by population so deputies can respond more quickly.

He also wants to build the police department up to an “acceptable level” where the community can receive the transparency they “deserve.”

In December, Waters announced a new Agency Transparency Policy for the first time in the history of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Waters explained that the agency wants people to know that they are willing to share information to create trust with the community.