Police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in Jacksonville, Florida
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This page provides an overview of policies related to the hiring, training, and discipline of police officers in Jacksonville, Fla. It is part of an analysis of police union collective bargaining agreements and related arrangements with police unions concerning hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in the 50 states and top 100 cities by population.
Background
Ballotpedia in 2023 examined the collective bargaining agreements, statutes, and regulatory codes governing the 50 states and the top 100 US cities by population through the lens of a series of research questions related to police hiring, training, and discipline.
Some of the hiring, training, and discipline standards for police officers not established by statutes or regulations arise from negotiations with police unions. Those negotiations are often codified in collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). Those agreements are the contracts that states and cities sign following negotiations with police unions. Some states and cities restrict collective bargaining, but may still negotiate with police unions using other methods. After negotiating with the unions, those jurisdictions sometimes establish police standards through documents including memoranda of understanding or meet and confer agreements.
Results
The tables below link to each question Ballotpedia used to analyze the states and cities and indicate how Jacksonville handles police hiring, training, and discipline. To see the provisions Ballotpedia used to support these results, click here.
CBA basics
| CBA basics | Results |
|---|---|
| Is there a CBA with the police union? | YES |
| Is the current CBA publicly available online? | YES |
Discipline and accountability
| Discipline and accountability | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA forbid the transfer or reassignment of an officer as a form of discipline? | NO |
| Do officers have a right to request third-party arbitration for grievances, including over disciplinary actions? | YES |
Condition: Disciplinary appeals may be subject to the grievance/arbitration procedure; Selection: The employee or union can submit the names of two certified Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS) arbitrators to be selected from or both parties alternately strike names from a list provided by the FMCS or American Arbitration Association; Provider: The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or American Arbitration Association; Arbitrator authority: The arbitrator's decision is final and binding, but may not include declaratory or advisory opinionsDisciplinary actions including demotion, suspension, or termination can be appealed to arbitration. The employee or the union must submit a written request for arbitration to the JSO Chief of Human Resources within 30 days of the decision of the grievance procedure. | |
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to discipline for misconduct? | YES |
Primary discipline authority: City of Jacksonville, Police Department; Types: Dismissal, demotion, suspension; Restricted aspects: N/A; Challenge/appeal process: Union grievance procedure or Civil Service Board hearing. Probationary employees do not have access to this process.Officer under investigation shall be informed prior to any meetings of nature of complaint. Officer has right to legal representation or any other representation of his/her choice. Sheriff or designee may impose immediate suspension without pay when employee has a) been arrested on a felony charge; b) failed a substance abuse test with confirmation; c) failed to obey a lawful direct order from a superior; d) is a danger to himself/herself or others. Employee may use personal leave in such cases. | |
| Does the CBA explicitly allow for a state ombudsman outside particular police departments to hold law enforcement officers accountable for misconduct? | NO |
Legal limitations or provisions
| Legal limitations or provisions | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the city CBA prohibit felons from becoming law enforcement officers? | NO |
| Are there any statutes or regulations that prohibit collective bargaining with police unions? | NO |
Training and counseling
Community relations and oversight
| Community relations and oversight | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA reference citizen review boards? | NO |
| Does the CBA have provisions related to community policing? | NO |
Investigations
| Investigations | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to misconduct investigations? | YES |
Investigative and disciplinary procedure, which shall include a hearing board; Allows for emergency suspension given certain circumstances | |
| Does the CBA require notice to officers of investigations? | YES |
Conditions: Written notice; Timeline: N/A; Content: Must include "the rank, name, and command of the officer in charge of the investigation, the interrogating officer, and all persons present during the interrogation or interview" | |
| Does the CBA determine a timeline for investigations? | NO |
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to compensation during misconduct investigations? | YES |
The officer will not be suspended without pay during the disciplinary procedure, unless an officer is arrested on a felony charge, fails a substance abuse test, disobeys a direct order from a superior officer, or is a danger to themselves or others. | |
Evidence and records
| Evidence and records | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA have provisions related to the use of body-worn cameras or body-worn camera video evidence? | NO |
| Does the CBA regulate processes for retaining officer disciplinary records? | YES |
Record storage: N/A; Storage authority: N/A; Types of records: Formal and informal investigations; Timeline: Informal counseling will be purged after 1 year, formal counseling after 3 years, written reprimands after 2 years, and suspensions after 5 years; Access and use: Employees have access to their personnel file; Use in decisions: N/A | |
Qualifications and evaluation
| Qualifications and evaluation | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA require performance evaluations? | YES |
Evaluations must be completed by an officer of a higher rank Evaluations must be standardized and in writing; specially assigned officers may be reviewed by a civilian supervisor in coordination with a higher-ranked officer; grievance procedures are in place | |
| Does the CBA restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments? | NO |
Union authority
See also
Footnotes
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