The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is intent on changing the script of American cities plagued by crime by implementing policy changes that have led to violent crime taking a tumble.

Following the defund the police movement, many cities across the nation have struggled with police retention and swelling violent crime. For Jacksonville, Florida, Sheriff T.K. Waters, the issue is personal, with the elected official spending the last 33 years of his career dedicated to decreasing crime in the “murder capital of Florida.”

“We’ve long had the poor reputation of being the murder capital, which I resent,” he told Fox News Digital. “Don’t like it at all because our city’s a lot more than that.”

Jacksonville’s nickname came after the city saw year-after-year of high murder rates – until 2024, when police reported more than a 50% drop from 2023, when murders fell from 122 to 59. That continued a decline from 2022, when the department reported 134 murders. The sheriff’s office said 2024’s total of 59 murders was the lowest since 1995, when there were 86 murders.

He shared that he is loyal to his officers and takes accountability for the work they do.

“But the most important thing is to stick with your officers when they’re doing their job correctly. We have to stand by them. We can’t allow politics to have us make a knee-jerk reaction or decision based on how something feels or the pressure that we get,” he said.

“I vowed to our police officers and showed them that we are going to stand up when they do the right thing. When they don’t do the right thing, we hold them accountable, of course,” he continued. “And that’s known publicly and people have noticed that around the country because we’ve been growing by leaps and bounds.”

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters speaks at a press conference following a fatal shooting at a Dollar General. (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office/FB)

Overall, Waters said he is committed to continually improving, sharing that he wants the homicide numbers to be at zero.

“My goal is that I want to hear almost universally that our community feels safe,” he said. “Across the board, not just pockets, but I wanted across the board. I wanted people to feel safe when they’re going home, when they’re going to the grocery store and when they’re driving on the roadways.”

Jacksonville Police. (Jacksonville Police Department)

“We’re going to go out and do what we need to do to make sure we try to maintain and get better in our city,” he said. “I’d like for the number [of homicides] to be at zero.”