Jacksonville lawmakers hash out law enforcement issues with Sheriff

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Jacksonville Democratic legislators discussed issues involving criminal justice reform and law enforcement with the Sheriff Monday.

Sen. Audrey Gibson and Rep. Tracie Davis talked to Sheriff Mike Williams Monday, with a number of activists on the call.

The goal: to restart efforts reshaping how police relate to the people in communities.

Davis referred to “tragedies” that have happened throughout the country, saying the goal was to figure out a way forward.

“This is about the community being involved … the community being heard,” the second-term Democratic state Representative said. “It is time to implement needed change.”

Gibson added the importance of “honest conversations” to “create a consensus plan for our community” to “remove scourges of racism” and “injustices” from community institutions.

Williams described room for improvement in law enforcement in the city in the moments he was allowed to talk, which were few and far between.

His comments were bland but supportive, noting that there is the “good, the bad, and where we can improve.”

Gibson, referring to a survey, cited a number of perceived issues, including disproportionate arrests and stops of minorities and whether police officers are held accountable when they overstep.

“The tone, the language, the body language … is repeated over and over again in the survey,” Gibson said.

The Sheriff cited his diverse, young leadership and officer corps as a leg up on understanding “implicit bias,” adding that he knew more had to be done.

Sheriff Williams, after an hour of listening, noted that there were a “lot of things to address.”

Regarding body cameras, the Sheriff noted that the current program was “crammed into statutes” with “no easy answers” for release of footage.

The footage is public record after the investigation wraps.

“The ones that have taken a while are officer-involved shootings,” he noted, with a July 2019 shooting’s footage able to be released next week.

Williams also distinguished between “peaceful protest” and “examples of rioting,” noting the former would “always be protected.”

While the conversation is just a step, Williams heard some pressing concerns, including a citizens’ review board, a concept that historically has been a non-starter with the Fraternal Order of Police but has been a big ask for activists.

Some activists went further. A representative from the New Florida Majority advocated defunding the police. She did not mention if that defunding included stopping payments on pension funds, one of the biggest factors in Jacksonville’s long term budget planning.

Another panelist suggested the United Nations may have a role in turning Jacksonville’s policing around.

More cynical about the Sheriff’s motivations was Ben Frazier of the Northside Coalition.

“Don’t drink the KoolAid,” Frazier warned in his stentorian voice, noting that the Sheriff has not released body camera footage and was only on hand because of the marches in the streets.