JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Golf Brook Drive is a street where police say a man in his late teens or early 20s was found with a gunshot wound Saturday. He died at the hospital.
A First Coast Crime Stoppers sign now sits in the area of the incident.
Jacksonville Sheriff candidate Lakesha Burton believes what the sheriff’s office is currently doing to reduce crime isn't working.
“Too many of these signs are popping up all over our city and that has been the trend in Duval County for decades," said Burton. "Violent crime has been rising, and I can tell you it's time for new leadership at the sheriffs office."
According to the Florida Times Union's homicide tracker, there have been 132 homicides so far this year, and 128 last year.
Jacksonville Sheriff candidate T.K. Waters shares a solution to how we can keep the homicide case numbers low.
"It's very important that we grow our numbers to proactively patrol because that helps tremendously in a couple different ways," said Waters. "It helps restore trust, team building with our community, and it helps us to be in places where we can’t be at this point because we are running thin."
Burton says it's important that officers get into the neighborhoods to build relationships with the community.
“Right now I believe the violence in the city is louder than we are as law enforcement and our community," said Burton. "It's almost like this become the norm, and we are numb to it and in many cases there are people that are hopeless. It's time for us to come together as community and address the violence in the city once and for all."
As for Waters, he says with the growth of Jacksonville’s population it's time to build the agency.
“People know about our city, and it’s a wonderful place. We have to keep it wonderful and continue to work very hard in our neighborhoods to make sure that we have what we need to succeed," said Waters.
Both candidates say work needs to be done to reduce the crime in the city.
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