In his personal text and his occupation of service

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For 7 several years – Mike Williams served as Jacksonville’s Sheriff. He’s been with the department for 31 yrs.

Let’s step absent from the controversy around exactly where the Sheriff life – and what that has to do with his retirement.

But in its place, look again to what he’s said through some of the most significant moments in his time period.

It begun with a close race in 2015. Mike Williams went up from 6 other candidates – and gained. He took his oath in July.

In 2017 – the sheriff told Information4Jax the office could commence applying physique cameras. Later on that very same yr, in August 2017 – the sheriff termed for 100 new officers. “We’re on the lookout at a lot of different sorts of schooling, variety schooling, implicit biased schooling,” Sheriff Williams said.

In 2018 – there was a mass capturing at the Jacksonville landing. A few people died and 9 people were hurt.

In September the sheriff informed Information4Jax he was just as worried about violent crime as any other Jacksonville citizen, “Clearly we’ve received challenges.”

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In 2019 – JSO predicted all over 200 entire body cameras in the initially quarter of the calendar year.

Then in 2020 – the murder of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery led to a social justice movement around the environment and in Jacksonville.

It sparked phone calls for transparency by JSO to release the human body camera footage in the area law enforcement shootings of Kwame Jones, Jamee Johnson, and Reginald Boston.

Most of the protests ended up tranquil. Later on that 12 months we read phone calls for a citizen review board and the metropolitan areas Safer Jointly Committee – that would afterwards close.

Northside Coalition President Ben Frazier reported that is the just one point the sheriff did appropriate in his phrase. “I assume that he had very good intentions,” Frazier said.

But now the sheriff’s expression finishes amid controversy. “This sheriff has been absent, missing and unaccounted for the earlier calendar year and a 50 percent,” Frazier ongoing. “I think that in that one regard, his resignation, he is main by example. Mainly because we have to have any person who can operate this metropolis the way it ought to be with regards to public protection.”

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The sheriff strategies to retire and formally go away the office in less than a 7 days, June 10.

The Fraternal Buy of Law enforcement said in a assertion “Sheriff Williams has preserved the have faith in and respect of our associates through his time in office environment. His profession of service to our local community spanned more than 30 a long time and was exemplary.”

Ben Frazier says no person – not even the sheriff is earlier mentioned the regulation.

In accordance to the city’s charter: “If the sheriff should die, resign, or clear away his residence from Duval County throughout his time period of workplace, or be removed from business office, the office of sheriff shall come to be vacant.”

There are nevertheless a lot of thoughts as to what transpires subsequent. But the first step will be Monday, when the metropolis council meets to established a distinctive election.