Sheriff Waters says mayor’s proposal to add 40 officers is sufficient ‘for now’

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FLV) – Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said Mayor Donna Deegan’s proposed budget to add 40 new officers is sufficient “for now.”

The mayor proposed $7.8 million Monday to put 40 new police officers on the streets, along with 18 non-uniformed positions. 

However, Waters said Wednesday the agency needs 216 new officers to “appropriately staff” each police service district.

Waters said he thinks adding 40 officers is a “good start” and is “hoping” they can fill the 216 officers he said the agency needs over the next four years.

“I don’t want to overburden the taxpayers, so I think we have to make sure that we take this in steps. And I have a four year term. So, I’m hoping that we can fill that 216 in that four year period,” Waters said.

Waters announced a new realignment project Wednesday during a town hall, which he said has been in the making since he took office. The project creates policing service districts rather than zones of response.

Waters said with the data-driven realignment project, the agency now has a “clear sense” of the number of officers they need to “adequately serve the city.”

The sheriff said the data “doesn’t lie” and that the sheriff’s office needs 216 new police officers to staff each police service district.

As Deegan proposed the budget, she said Jacksonville “absolutely need[s]” more officers on the streets.

“I’ve looked at the numbers, and in a fast-growing city of our size, we absolutely need more police officers on the streets and in our communities,” Deegan said.

After Deegan proposed the budget, Waters said it “reflects this agency’s recent successes.”

“This proposed budget reflects this agency’s recent successes and allows it to address the ever-evolving needs of our community. This budget proposal is a testament to the City’s shared growth vision for JSO,” Waters said.