Melissa Ross
Appearing in front of a fire station on the city’s Northwest Side, Mayor Alvin Brown touted the endorsements of the city’s Brotherhood of Police Officers and Firefighters, saying he’s got the better plan to improve Jacksonville’s public safety.
The organizations primarily represent African-American police and fire personnel. As recently as December, their blessings were not guaranteed. But the Brotherhood, a powerful and historic association, has thrown in with Brown once again, just as it did in 2011.
Some of the backstory is that the Brotherhood is a plaintiff in one of the racial discrimination lawsuits the city faces in federal court, and had asked for Brown’s support in seeking resolution.
“Our mission is to establish ethnic and gender diversity in the ranks of the JFRD, and remove social and economic barriers from hiring and provide a unified force. Over the last four years Mayor Brown has been steadfast in supporting firefighters in Jacksonville,” said Terrance Jones, district chief of the Rescue Division and vice president of the Jacksonville Brotherhood of Firefighters.
Juanita Edwards, a retired police officer and member of the Jacksonville Brotherhood of Police Officers, responded to Lenny Curry‘s attacks that Brown has cut the police force by saying, “The mayor is not responsible for the hiring and firing of police officers. I’m proud to support him because he supports law enforcement. Mayor Brown has advocated to hire more cops through the Community Oriented Policing program, including a $1.9 million federal grant. He understands that we need to support law enforcement through effective crime prevention and intervention strategies.”
Brown also took the mike to say that Jacksonville’s crime rate is down 10 percent and at a 40-year low, calling Curry’s attacks that public safety has slid during his term “misleading and not forthright.”
“It is an unfortunate reality that too many of our citizens are victims of crime. There is still work to be done. But I’m proud to say we have laid the foundation to make Jacksonville a safe place to live, work and raise a family. While I can’t hire and fire police officers, I can propose a budget that gives the sheriff the resources to strengthen the police force,” Brown said. He then said he has recommended that the new sheriff hire 80 new police officers, made possible by his administration’s work to increase the JSO budget by $48 million.
Curry spokesman Brian Hughes responded:
“Finally, in year four of his term, Alvin Brown suddenly claims he has a plan to address the surge in violent crime and murder. No endorsement in the world can reverse Alvin Brown’s tragic failure on public safety. Under Brown, murder is up 52 percent, rape 134 percent and assaults are up 18 percent. Lenny Curry has a real plan to make Jacksonville safe again, that’s why crime fighters like the Fraternal Order of Police, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Sheriff John Rutherford all agree that Lenny Curry should be Jacksonville’s mayor.”
The Curry campaign has focused heavily improving public safety in its messaging and attacks on Brown, repeatedly pointing out that Curry is the only candidate with a written plan to reduce crime rates.
The Brown team has responded with a policy paper outlining the incumbent’s approach to public safety in a potential second term by emphasizing youth programs, partnerships with nonprofits and the city’s faith-based community, along with increasing the JSO ranks and getting a long-awaited pension deal.
With five weeks left until the May 19 runoff election, more television ads, news conferences, and attacks centering on Jacksonville’s public safety status (the city has long been Florida’s murder capital) are certain to be a central part of this race.
