Jacksonville City Council President Michael Corrigan rode on patrol with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office yesterday evening as the second in his series of 'work experiences' as announced in his speech on the night of his installation as President. Beginning at the Sheriff's office Zone 5 stop station at 210 N. McDuff Avenue at 5:30 p.m., Mr. Corrigan rode on patrol with a JSO deputy in one of the Operation Safe Streets areas targeted by the Sheriff for heightened police presence and visibility in response to the increased number of homicides experienced by the city in the first half of 2006.
During his 8-hour shift President Corrigan witnessed and participated in a wide range of law enforcement activities, ranging from 3 arrests, to the delivery of a suspect to the jail for initial intake and booking, to a search for a fleeing suspect that involved a JSO helicopter and a canine unit. The experience was an eye-opener for Corrigan. 'I learned a tremendous amount from the officer I patrolled with about the nature of the more common crimes in our city, how to recognize the signs of criminal activity, and what effect the Sheriff's stepped-up enforcement efforts are having on crime.'
The JSO patrol was the second in Councilman Corrigan's series of 'work experiences' announced during his speech after his installation as Council President in July. He intends to work at a variety of city jobs throughout his year as President, seeing first-hand the conditions under which a variety of City employees work and how they interact with the general public, and learning more about the employees' talents and experiences. The first work experience was spent riding in a Fire and Rescue Department ambulance. Future work experiences under consideration include serving meals in a senior center, cleaning pools and doing landscape maintenance in city parks, taking calls in the CityLink citizen call center, riding a garbage truck with a sanitation crew, and helping librarians in the city's new Main Library.
Contact: Cheryl L. Brown, Director at (904) 630-1452 .