JSO Community Survey
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Community Survey 2018
Every two years, JSO commissions an independent survey of Duval County residents to gauge public perception of the department - how safe people feel, how well they think JSO is doing its job, and how they interact with and consume information from JSO. The figures below are drawn directly from JSO Report 2018 Final VersionreportAccessed Sep 24, 2026.
About this survey
Adults aged 18+ residing in Duval County outside the Beaches communities Random-digit-dial telephone interviews (33% landline, 67% cellular), English and Spanish
- Completed Interviews
- 1,726
- Margin of Error
- ±2%
- Confidence Level
- N/A
- Field Dates
- November 30, 2018 to December 13, 2018
- Weighted Results
- Yes
A note on methodology: UNF PORL stratified by six patrol zones; oversampled zones, then weighted by age, sex, race and education. AAPOR RR3 response rate 23%. Zone margins of error approximately ±6–7 percentage points. The methodology says n=1,726, yet some appendix question bases list n=1,728. The weighting paragraph says State of Florida instead of Duval County; verify whether this is a text error. No design-effect adjustment reported; subgroup margins exceed overall ±2 points. For trend comparisons, account for later methodological changes. Percentages are reported rounded values and do not independently establish agency performance. Appendix I includes two impossible-looking cells (135 for Asian refusal on engagement, p. 64; 215 for Zone 2 college graduate, p. 65); their numeric percentages are NULL with published text retained in estimate notes. Eighty-one cells reported as <1% likewise retain the threshold in notes without inventing a point estimate. Appendix p. 60 repeats the emergency-call-count heading for a second distribution; mapped to non-emergency call count based on survey instrument order, so this mapping should be confirmed against source materials. Zone 1 officer-involved-shooting response percentages sum to 93%, another apparent report inconsistency.
Job Approval & Public Safety Perception
Out of 1726 completed interviews.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is handling its job?
71% of respondents say the JSO is handling its job well.
- Strongly Approve
- 31%
- Somewhat Approve
- 40%
- Somewhat Disapprove
- 11%
- Strongly Disapprove
- 10%
- Don’t Know
- 8%
- Refusal
- —
You feel safe in your neighborhood.
85% of respondents feel safe in their own neighborhood.
- Strongly Agree
- 54%
- Somewhat Agree
- 31%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 8%
- Strongly Disagree
- 6%
- Don’t Know
- —
- Refusal
- —
You feel safe in the areas of Jacksonville that you go to most often, for example for work or leisure.
80% feel safe in the areas of Jacksonville they visit most often.
- Strongly Agree
- 46%
- Somewhat Agree
- 34%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 10%
- Strongly Disagree
- 9%
- Don’t Know
- 1%
- Refusal
- —
You think Jacksonville is, overall, a safe place to live.
64% think Jacksonville is, overall, a safe place to live.
- Strongly Agree
- 24%
- Somewhat Agree
- 40%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 18%
- Strongly Disagree
- 17%
- Don’t Know
- 1%
- Refusal
- —
Investigations, Misconduct & Accountability
Out of 1726 completed interviews.
Overall, JSO does a good job handling complex investigations.
56% agree the JSO does a good job handling complex investigations.
- Strongly Agree
- 25%
- Somewhat Agree
- 31%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 9%
- Strongly Disagree
- 12%
- Don’t Know
- 22%
- Refusal
- —
JSO does a good job investigating officer-involved shootings.
52% agree the JSO does a good job investigating officer-involved shootings.
- Strongly Agree
- 27%
- Somewhat Agree
- 25%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 11%
- Strongly Disagree
- 15%
- Don’t Know
- 22%
- Refusal
- —
JSO does a good job following up on allegations of police misconduct with competent administrative and/or criminal investigations.
51% agree the JSO does a good job following up on allegations of police misconduct.
- Strongly Agree
- 24%
- Somewhat Agree
- 27%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 11%
- Strongly Disagree
- 16%
- Don’t Know
- 22%
- Refusal
- —
JSO does a good job reporting back to the community about its findings on investigations of possible police misconduct.
Only 53% believe the JSO does a good job reporting back to the community about its misconduct investigations.
- Strongly Agree
- 24%
- Somewhat Agree
- 29%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 13%
- Strongly Disagree
- 20%
- Don’t Know
- 14%
- Refusal
- —
Being the victim of police brutality is something that you personally worry about.
35% personally worry about being a victim of police brutality.
- Strongly Agree
- 22%
- Somewhat Agree
- 13%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 15%
- Strongly Disagree
- 49%
- Don’t Know
- 1%
- Refusal
- —
Staffing, Funding & Personal Encounters
Out of 1726 completed interviews.
JSO has enough officers to meet the city’s needs.
38% agree the JSO has enough officers to meet the city's needs.
- Strongly Agree
- 19%
- Somewhat Agree
- 19%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 19%
- Strongly Disagree
- 32%
- Don’t Know
- 11%
- Refusal
- —
JSO is responsible with taxpayer money and allocates its resources well.
53% agree the JSO is responsible with taxpayer money.
- Strongly Agree
- 22%
- Somewhat Agree
- 31%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 12%
- Strongly Disagree
- 13%
- Don’t Know
- 22%
- Refusal
- —
JSO needs more funding.
67% agree the JSO needs more funding.
- Strongly Agree
- 43%
- Somewhat Agree
- 24%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 8%
- Strongly Disagree
- 13%
- Don’t Know
- 12%
- Refusal
- —
In your encounters with JSO personnel, you find them to be courteous and competent.
78% who personally interacted with JSO personnel found them courteous and competent.
- Strongly Agree
- 48%
- Somewhat Agree
- 30%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 7%
- Strongly Disagree
- 9%
- No Interactions
- 7%
- Don’t Know
- 1%
Why have you found their behaviors to be discourteous or incompetent?
Rude/Arrogant/Unfriendly/Mean was the most cited reason among respondents who found JSO personnel discourteous or incompetent, at 30%.
- Rude/Arrogant/Unfriendly/Mean
- 30%
- Judge/Assume Guilt
- 4%
- Unprofessional
- 4%
- Inflated Sense of Power and Authority
- 9%
- Excessive Force/Aggression
- 6%
- Racial Profiling/Stereotyping/Harassing
- 11%
- Lack of Action/Don’t do their Job
- 14%
- Bad Personal Experience
- 11%
- Other
- 11%
Contact With JSO
Out of 1726 completed interviews.
Have you called the police in the past year?
33% called the police at least once in the past year.
- Yes
- 33%
- No
- 67%
- Don’t Know
- —
- Refusal
- —
Was it an emergency 9-1-1 call or was it a non-emergency call to the police department?
Non-Emergency was the most common type of call to police, at 55%.
- Emergency
- 31%
- Non-Emergency
- 55%
- Both
- 14%
- Don’t Know
- —
How many times did you call Emergency 9-1-1 in the past year?
1 was the most common answer for how many times respondents called 9-1-1 in the past year, at 51%.
- 1
- 51%
- 2
- 26%
- 3
- 12%
- 4
- 6%
- 5
- 1%
- More than 5
- 4%
How many times did you call the non-emergency police number in the past year?
1 was the most common answer for how many times respondents called the non-emergency line in the past year, at 48%.
- 0
- 2%
- 1
- 48%
- 2
- 26%
- 3
- 11%
- 4
- 3%
- 5
- 1%
- More than 5
- 10%
- Don’t Know
- 1%
Have you had non-emergency contact with JSO in the past year?
44% had non-emergency contact with JSO in the past year.
- Yes
- 44%
- No
- 56%
- Don’t Know
- —
- Refusal
- —
Public Safety Priorities
Out of 1726 completed interviews.
If JSO could do one thing for you in your neighborhood, what would it be?
Increase Patrols/Visibility/Presence was the most common thing respondents asked JSO to do for their neighborhood, at 45%.
- Increase Patrols/Visibility/Presence
- 45%
- Stronger Speeding Enforcement
- 6%
- Faster Response Time
- 3%
- Increase Community Outreach/Integration
- 7%
- Address Drug Problem
- 3%
- Tougher on/Reduce Crime
- 2%
- Increased Surveillance
- 1%
- Increase Officers in High Crime Areas
- 1%
- Increase Bike Patrol
- —
- Increase Foot Patrol
- —
- Nothing
- 7%
- Show More Respect/Don’t Discriminate
- 3%
- Increase Traffic Control
- 2%
- Stop Violence Against Citizens
- 1%
- More Involved w/ Youth/Children-Focused Policing
- 2%
- Focus More on Serious Crime
- 1%
- Increase Safety
- 4%
- Leave Respondent/Neighborhood Alone
- 1%
- Unrelated to JSO
- 1%
- Increase Street Lights
- —
- Address Homelessness
- 1%
- Do Their Job Better
- 3%
- Narrow Specific Issues
- 6%
- Other
- 1%
Online Presence & News Habits
Out of 1726 completed interviews.
Which option would you most prefer for getting your local news?
Watching local television news was the most preferred way to get local news, at 53%.
- Watching local television news
- 53%
- Reading local print newspapers
- 4%
- Getting local news from a social media site
- 16%
- Getting local news from online websites or app
- 14%
- Getting local news from JSO’s social media sites
- 3%
- Getting local news from JSO’s website
- 3%
- Word of mouth
- 2%
- Something Else
- 2%
- Don’t get local news
- 2%
- Don’t know
- 1%
- Refusal
- —
During a typical week, how many days do you watch local news on TV, not including sports?
Respondents watch local TV news an average of 4 out of 7 days a week.
- 0
- 21%
- 1
- 7%
- 2
- 7%
- 3
- 8%
- 4
- 6%
- 5
- 12%
- 6
- 3%
- 7
- 37%
During a typical week, how many days do you read local news in a printed newspaper, not including sports?
Respondents read local news in a printed newspaper an average of 1.1 out of 7 days a week.
- 0
- 72%
- 1
- 8%
- 2
- 4%
- 3
- 4%
- 4
- 1%
- 5
- 1%
- 6
- —
- 7
- 10%
During a typical week, how many days do you watch, read or listen to local news on the Internet, not including sports?
Respondents watch, read, or listen to local news online an average of 3.7 out of 7 days a week.
- 0
- 27%
- 1
- 6%
- 2
- 7%
- 3
- 7%
- 4
- 7%
- 5
- 9%
- 6
- 2%
- 7
- 36%
When it comes to social media, do you, or would you follow JSO on these platforms?
Facebook was the platform most respondents follow or would follow JSO on, at 39%.
- 39%
- 14%
- 15%
- YouTube
- 11%
- Don’t Know
- 18%
- Refusal
- 35%
Community Engagement
Out of 1726 completed interviews.
In thinking about your engagement with JSO would you be willing to participate in these activities?
Direct Officer Interaction was the community-engagement activity most respondents said they'd participate in, at 50%.
- Sheriff’s Watch Meetings
- 37%
- Neighborhood Walks
- 44%
- Coffee with a Cop
- 44%
- Safety Fairs
- 42%
- Citizen’s Police Academy
- 29%
- Substations and Stop Stations
- 43%
- Direct Officer Interaction
- 50%
- Other
- 4%
- Don’t Know
- 37%
- Refusal
- 44%