JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The video attached to this story is from a previous report.
Two days after being sworn in, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters held two press conferences – the first to announce his new command staff, the second at the scene of a police shooting.
The back-to-back standups set the tone for a busy first two weeks, in which he’s faced reporters – though not always spoken to them – six times.
Waters’ frequent public appearances offer a contrast to his predecessor, in style if not always substance. His presence has in some cases been purely ceremonial, with Waters offering brief comments before handing things over to the officer in charge of the scene. The murder of a 13-year-old boy prompted Waters to muster a few dozen city officials on the steps of the Police Memorial Building Monday “to share that this grief has not broken our community. To the contrary, this grief has emboldened us and hardened our resolve.”
Waters then announced, “we've added an additional 420 man-hours to what we're doing to focus on this issue.” In response to questions from First Coast News, JSO clarified that the plan involves shifting officers from other parts of the agency, not new hires or overtime.
“Officers already employed with the agency are being reallocated to the Violence Reduction Section which will add an additional 420 man hours, each week, focusing on violent crime,” a spokesperson wrote.
Asked where in town the officers will serve and for how long, the spokesperson wrote, “These officers will be deployed in areas which have been identified by our Crime Analysis Unit as ‘hot spots’ for violent crime. As such, the locations the officers are deployed to, and the time they spend there, will change as the crime data dictates.”
The effort to get out in front of issues – and cameras – creates a distinction between Waters and former Sheriff Mike Williams who, by the time he left in June, had been criticized for lack of engagement.
“Sheriff Mike Williams has been absent, missing and unaccounted for, for the last year and a half,” community activist Ben Frazier said after news broke that Williams no longer lived in Duval County.
In fact, Williams’ first term began with a notable absence. He went on a cruise soon after he was sworn on July 1, 2005 and remained out of town throughout the entire 10-day search for missing toddler Lonzie Barton. (The child’s body was found six months later.) Though subordinates said Williams was in touch daily, his absence then continued to dog his reputation, at least on social media, until his departure.
Certainly, Williams was present during major incidents, like the mass shooting at the Jacksonville Landing. He often participated in three-way pressers with what one former JSO official calls the “trifecta” of Williams, State Attorney Melissa Nelson and Mayor Lenny Curry. And he gamely joined in the Jaguars-sponsored Black Lives Matter march during nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd.
But the second half of his second term, Williams was often absent from the public dialogue, declining to engage with city activists or attend public forums.
One former colleague attributes Williams’ flagging enthusiasm to the 2020 battle he waged but did not seek, when the mayor invited the Republican National Convention to town. Just a month after Curry issued citywide curfews in response to large-scale protests, and with COVID still ascendant, Williams publicly broke with the mayor – and, by extension, then-President Trump and the Republican Party.
“We can’t support this plan,” he told reporters. “I don’t have what I need to keep our community safe.”
“It was the second year of his last term, and he recognized, ‘this isn’t worth it, this is not what I signed up for,” the former colleague said. “He was checked out, out of frustration and exhaustion.”
Of course, Williams’ term ultimately ended because he physically left the city – and moved to Nassau County – a violation of the city charter.
Waters, who declined to criticize Williams’ out of county move in an earlier interview, seems keen to establish a different public profile. But while he is visible, he has taken questions at just three of his appearances. First Coast News asked to interview Waters for this story, but he declined.
“The Sheriff is unavailable to speak with you; However, as you stated, the Sheriff has been visible at multiple crime scenes and community events, upholding his campaign promises of both being accessible and available to the community,” a spokesperson wrote. “This is not a strategic move on the Sheriff’s part but rather the manner in which he will continue to do business.”
Sheriff TK Waters’ recent public appearances:
- Nov. 20: Sheriff TK Waters sworn in
- Nov. 22: JSO command staff introduction
- Nov. 22: Officer involved shooting briefing
- Dec. 2: DUI deployment presser
- Dec. 3: 13-year-old killed briefing
- Dec. 5: City leaders press conference
Dec. 3rd: 13-year-old killed briefing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS1KeG-W_Qk
Dec. 5th: City leaders press conference https://youtu.be/5MTVMXjsVfM
Executive Producer, Special Projects
FIRST COAST NEWS | WTLV NBC 12 | WJXX ABC 25
aschindler@firstcoastnews.com | C: 904-742-7541