'Defund the police' movement turned on head as Florida sheriff touts achievements in state's 'murder capital'
Fox News
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters shared with Fox News Digital how funding key policies at his department helped change Jacksonville, Florida, from being the "murder capital of Florida."
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a U.S. writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
"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." Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.
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.