“Put them all in prison forever.”
That wasn’t said by an internet commenter. It was said by Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters while discussing people convicted of sex offenses following “Operation Checkmate.” According to News4JAX, the Sheriff stated: “I think you should put them all in prison forever. That’s just my opinion. Or, we get rid of them completely because my experience tells me that they can’t be cured. And if you get one, you interview them. If they’re honest with you, they’ll tell you they can’t be cured. They’re probably in the safest place that they can be.”
The Sheriff is not saying people should be punished according to the law. He’s not saying people should serve the sentence imposed by a judge. He’s saying an entire class of people should be imprisoned forever, regardless of what the law provides, because he personally believes they “can’t be cured.” That is not law enforcement. That is prejudice!
The reality is that decades of research have shown that people convicted of sex offenses are not a homogeneous group and that already low recidivism rates decline dramatically with time, age, and offense-free behavior. Most never reoffend at all. Yet here we have the chief law enforcement officer of one of Florida’s largest cities publicly declaring that every one of them belongs in prison for life and can’t be cured!
Statements like this should concern everyone — not just registrants and their families. We expect sheriffs to enforce the law fairly and objectively, not to substitute personal bias for facts and evidence. When a sheriff openly declares that an entire group of citizens is beyond redemption, it raises serious questions about whether those individuals can ever expect fair treatment from his agency.
Whether someone is popular or unpopular, sympathetic or unsympathetic, justice requires facts, evidence, and individual assessment. Not blanket assumptions and fear-driven rhetoric. A sheriff who believes an entire class of people should be imprisoned forever despite what the law says has forgotten his role. His job is to enforce the law, not rewrite it based on personal opinion. Someone like this should not be in office because he’s a danger to the community.
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Yes, this is an example of how these people are judged. Our on-law enforcement is against those that served their sentence, when will they be given a second chance in life. I PRAY every day that this persecution will end.
FAC, time to see what you’re really made of. Send this sheriff an open letter condemning their rhetoric while inviting them to speak with you openly about these issues. If they’re going to hide behind the badge to claim public safety every time they open their mouth while hauling off and claiming one class of citizens needs to be locked away indefinitely then something needs to be said. Continue sending letters until someone investigates this sorry excuse for law enforcement let alone an elected official for their conduct.
Oh jeez I really hope that was taken out of context because that’s my Sheriff. I will say we have been very lucky- we’ve never had any issues with the police in Jacksonville while registering or home checks Etc. They’ve always been very polite and one officer even told my husband yeah we’re not worried about you because he knows the case and knows that it’s stupid. The only problem is occasionally he’ll get pulled over because he works late at night and I’m sure when the police just do random checks of tags they say hey let’s pull this guy over. They’ve never harassed him though and he’s always been sent on his way with a thank you and good night. Really disappointed after reading that article about Sheriff Waters. I keep hoping we can do better and then something like that comes along. I wonder if people like that give any thought at all the how devastating it is not only to the poor person stuck on the registry but for everyone who loves them. Well, my husband can’t vote but I sure can and I will not be voting for him in the next election.
I wonder how he would feel to find out that at least one SO voted for him….. I am one that retained his rights and am on the registry. I am with you though, I will not be voting for him in the next election
A sheriff who publicly declares that an entire class of people is beyond redemption and should be imprisoned forever — regardless of the law — has demonstrated an inability to carry out his duties impartially. When an official shows that level of categorical bias, it raises serious questions about his fitness for duty and whether he should be allowed to interact with the public in an official capacity until his impartiality and adherence to constitutional obligations can be formally evaluated.