Lenny Curry mailer touts crime reduction plan, John Rutherford endorsement

In a new mailer, Lenny Curry touts his commitment to “reducing crime to make Jacksonville safer.” It features a quote from Sheriff John Rutherford asserting that “Lenny Curry is the guy that’s going to take us on the right road,” and spotlights his plan to prioritize public safety, support local law enforcement, and build connections between police and people.

“Lenny Curry understands that the path to a safer Jacksonville has two parts: law enforcement and the community,” the mailer asserts, adding that “only by having a well-prepared police force and an active and vocal community working together can we make Jacksonville a safe place for everyone.”

In the mail piece, Curry vows to restore funding to the Jacksonville Journey, a topic that has been discussed at many of this campaign season’s sheriff’s forums. He also advocates better technology for officers, and hiring “at least 147 new police officers to repair Alvin Brown’s damaging cuts,” although there is disagreement among candidates as to whether new hires are necessary, or whether the “top-heavy” administration of the Sheriff’s Office could be reassigned to patrol or other details.

Beyond that, Curry advocates “long-term public safety improvement” rooted in addressing “underlying problems” and being an “advocate for the voices of the neighborhoods to be heard in the Sheriff’s Office and in City Hall.”

The mailing aims to achieve an important rhetorical goal: blunting Brown’s latest messaging regarding crime fighting and prevention.

Those who follow @AlvinForMayor — the official campaign Twitter account — might remember a series of Tweets on Sunday that assert that the Mayor has made “crime prevention and intervention a top priority over the last 4 years.” He takes credit for an overall decrease of 10% in crime over the past few years, as well as for having “helped launch Operation Ceasefire w the JSO to tackle crime in NW Jax by removing illegal firearms and drugs.”