In an in-depth public opinion poll of the community regarding policing in Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office earned exceptional approval ratings in several critically important areas. The poll results include:
Job Approval / Performance (information on pages 8, 12, and 16 of the report)
- Eighty-nine percent of Duval County residents feel safe in their neighborhood.
- More than 68% of respondents agree or somewhat agree that JSO is handling its job well. This is number is up in double digits from the survey conducted in late 2022 after Sheriff T.K. Waters took office.
- More than 69% of respondents find JSO personnel to be competent and courteous.
Use of Resources (information on pages 11 and 19 of the report)
- More than half of the respondents (62.6%) agree that JSO needs more funding.
- Half of the respondents (50.1%) do not feel that JSO has enough officers to meet the city’s needs.
- When asked if JSO is responsible with taxpayer dollars and allocates its resources well, more than half of respondents (51.8%) agreed or somewhat agreed.
Accountability, Transparency, and Community Engagement (information on pages 14 and 27 of the report)
- Fifty-six percent of respondents agree or somewhat agree that JSO is doing a better job in the area of accountability and transparency compared to years past.
- More than half (53.9%) agree that JSO is doing a better job with community engagement compared to years past.
The Sheriff’s Administration is grateful for those who took the time to provide this invaluable feedback as it highlights areas for improvements, allowing the members of JSO to embrace one of the agency’s core values of always improving.
In 2016, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office began conducting biennial community surveys of residents, measuring community attitudes and opinions toward law enforcement in the city. The survey did not include, the beaches areas, as they are not a primary service area of the agency. Since 2016, studies have been conducted in 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2024. Project years were adjusted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s academic research study was conducted by Dr. Roger Austin, an adjunct profession with the University of Florida. The survey is a standard required by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, also known as CALEA, and it cost $50,000.
A link to the entire survey is available by
clicking here or by going to
transparency.jaxsheriff.org.
Related Information: