JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sheriff T.K. Waters of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office held a news conference Tuesday afternoon to announce changes to JSO’s policies and procedures as it relates to transparency.
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“Today, I’m proud to announce for the first time in the history of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, transparency is a part of our operational orders,” Waters stated.
JSO announced multiple new policies, most notably as they pertain to officer-involved incidents.
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First, JSO has promised to release any body-worn camera footage from officer-involved shootings within 21 days of the incident. Second, they promise to release any incident data of officer-involved shootings or in-custody deaths within 48 hours. Finally, JSO has promised to release all information as it relates to the arrest of any JSO members if JSO is the investigating unit. Additionally, JSO has promised to do all of this proactively and post all the mentioned information to their transparency webpage.
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Waters says this is all an integral part of establishing trust with the community, which he called an “essential element of creating an environment where all Jacksonville citizens can thrive.”
“Trust. It is earned and retained through openness and honesty. I promise this community that our agency will be forward-facing and transparent as permissible under the law,” Waters stated during the news conference.
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For more information on JSO’s transparency page and what it has to offer, click here.