The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is taking crime prevention directly into neighborhoods.

On Saturday morning, Sheriff T.K. Waters walked alongside residents in the Lakeshore area during a community crime prevention walk aimed at strengthening relationships and encouraging open communication between law enforcement and the public.

Waters said these walks are about visibility and making sure residents feel supported.

“Them seeing all of us walking through the neighborhood, being attentive, and making sure they understand and know that we’re here for them,” said Waters.

The walk began and ended at American Legion Post 137, with officers and community members going door-to-door and talking through concerns in real time.

Residents like Jahmel Morgan said he appreciates the effort, but wants to see a meaningful and consistent presence.

“But if I we’re to request more presence, it’ll have to have a purpose with it,” said Morgan. “You know, presence with purpose. Not just standing around looking around or trying to point fingers at anybody or accused, but to you know, have a purpose to build to actually start what you do to build them out to be better to stop criminal activity.”

Community organizations also joined the effort, including the Justice Coalition, which works closely with victims of violent crime.

Robert Barcewell, executive director of the Justine Coalition, said these walks play a key role in building connections that can ultimately help solve cases.

“We advocate for victims of violent crime,” said Barcewell. “We walked them through the process, through the court system. We help them with resources such as financial and with victims’ compensation, and counseling.”

Waters said feedback from residents is taken seriously and helps shape how the department serves the community moving forward.

“One of our core values is always improving so how can we improve? How can we always do better to improve our service to improve what we’re doing for them and these communities think is very important to hear that and I really 100% take everything that I hear. We write them down, we address the issues, and then we talk about ways that we can improve and get better,” said Waters.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said more community walks like this are planned throughout the year as part of ongoing efforts to reduce crime and build trust across the city.