JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Ask neighbors in Jacksonville’s Cedar Hills area and they’ll tell you the area is relatively quiet, but that it still it has its fair share of issues - including drugs and reckless drivers.
“Recently there’s been some drug activity,” Cedar Hills neighbor Brian Buckner told Action News Jax Saturday. “[The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office] has made quite a few stops in our area, that has been cleaned up.”
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The neighborhood, located in Southwest Jacksonville, sits within District 4.
According to JSO’s crime map, there have been around 1200 offenses reported in the corresponding 32210 zip code this year.
When filtered to only drug offenses, the number is just over 100.
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The traffic crash map shows about 1200 total crashes within District 4 this year. 13 were deadly.
“Some of the people that speed up and down the streets...,” added Barbara Delaeghter. “We have a lot of children in our area.”
Saturday morning, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters heard those concerns, going door to door as part of his series of “crime walks.”
“If it’s a public works issue, then let’s talk to public works. You can tell me about it and we’ll help you contact public works,” Sheriff Waters highlighted at Saturday’s crime walk. “If there’s an issue involving traffic, that’s ours. We’re gonna take care of those issues.”
While Sheriff Waters said these community crime walks are an important way to identify those key issues with members of the community, he added that it’s perhaps even more important police follow up on those concerns in order to maintain community trust.
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“Most of the time when you see the police, something bad’s happened. Either to you or somebody else,” Buckner added. “So this is a chance to talk to ‘em, walk around, for them to meet me in the neighborhood, for us to meet them, on better terms.”
People in the area may also voice their concerns to government officials.
District 4 is represented by Councilman Kevin Carrico.
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