CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — First Coast News spoke with the Sheriff of Clay County regarding the school district's police force, which is now up and running. He told First Coast News he’s prepared to help as much as he can.
Anything that involves a human life, even if the sheriff's office has to take the short end of the financial stick, if you will, we will,” said Sheriff Darryl Daniels. “We'll do whatever we need to keep people safe. That's what we signed up to do."
Sheriff Darryl Daniels sent a letter to the Superintendent in Clay County acknowledging the police department for the schools as a law enforcement agency. The letter also lays out his decision to keep his school resource officers at the schools until September 2019, but they will only be there during school hours.
"This is like a little nudge, if you will, to that jurisdiction to put something in writing so that I can review it so that we can have a true agreement and then we can all move forward,” said Sheriff Daniels.
The Sheriff said CCSO received more than 1000 calls for service per year to Clay County Schools. He's concerned because the jurisdictional lines have not been set.
"You kind of have to know what you're wanting to do before you jump out there,” he said.
Sheriff Daniels said he wants to establish a relationship with the Chief of Police Kenneth Wagner.
"The law calls it an interlocal agreement,” he said. “In law enforcement we call them memorandums of understanding, MOU's. Both organizations lay out a plan about what the relationship is."
Part of that agreement is funneling calls for service.
"If it's something of an emergency nature, call 911,” said Sheriff Daniels.
State law said the sheriff can give the school police force a 1000 foot distance from the school as part of their jurisdiction, but Sheriff Daniels said he won't allow that.
"I want to give them an opportunity to show themselves to be good stewards of their jurisdiction proper, and if they show themselves to be a good steward of those things, small things, then we might allow that later on,” said Sheriff Daniels.
Sheriff Daniels said his staff will be meeting with the Chief of Police for the schools to discuss further arrangements on Wednesday. The meeting should bring more clarity as to what each agency is responsible for.
First Coast News reached out the school district after hours for a comment and is waiting for a response.