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City must pay to fight crime, Peyton says
By DAVID HUNT, The Times-Union
May 16, 2008
In her three minutes to question the panel, Joetta Mccoy, a retiree living in the Northside, wanted to know about her role as a citizen as Jacksonville considers spending $61 million to curb crime.
"I see young people who should be in school who are out walking the street," she said. "Who do you notify that there's a person over here, in the ball field, smoking dope or whatever?"
Mccoy was among a crowd of about 200 gathered Thursday at Florida Community College at Jacksonville's North Campus, marking the first event of its size for community input for the Jacksonville Journey, Mayor John Peyton's anti-crime effort aimed at stopping violence at its roots.
The plan is estimated to cost $61 million over five years.
Peyton said the need for money could not have come at a worse time financially but not funding the plan could do damage to the city that would long outlast a financial downswing.
City officials, however, are faced with a tough budget. Department heads preparing for the next fiscal year have been directed to cut spending.
"This is not cheap work, but I think we're at a crossroads in Jacksonville. We have typically invested in bricks and mortar, not people," Peyton said. "We're not a community being defined by bricks and mortar. We're a community being defined by violence."
The initiative was introduced through a five-minute video showing interviews with young people as crime statistics flashed on the screen.
Peyton said Jacksonville spends less on police - about $356 per capita - than Florida's other major cities.
"These past 14 years, we've been leading the state in violence," he said. "The past eight years, we've been leading the state in murder."
Law enforcement initiatives alone, as presented Thursday night, are expected to cost $22.3 million, or about a third of the Journey spending projection.
Recommendations under the plan call for an additional 101 patrol officers, 124 corrections officers and 38 civilian positions for the Sheriff's Office.
Earlier this week, the city moved to hire 40 police officers, using unspent money in the jail budget, within the next several months. The City Council is reviewing legislation that would transfer the money, but nobody in City Hall has determined where the money will come from to continue paying the officers in future years.
Peyton spoke for about 45 minutes, summarizing the multi-level plan's purpose and its highlights.
About a dozen people spoke afterward to a panel of Journey committee members. Many of the comments centered on drug treatment and convict rehabilitation.
Others spent their time on topics like the closing of the Don Brewer Center for Early Learning, Research and Development rather than asking questions on the $61 million plan presented.
At times, committee co-chair Betty Holzendorf became irritated when speakers didn't stay on point.
"The editorializing is about to get on my nerves," she said, getting a laugh out of the crowd, as she stressed the importance residents have in shaping the plan.
"I want the people to tell me if I am on the right journey," she said.
david.hunt@jacksonville.com,
(904) 359-4025
Copyright 2008
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