SJSO

ST. JOHNS COUNTY

SHERIFF'S OFFICE

ROBERT A. HARDWICK, SHERIFF

"SERVE WITH EXCELLENCE"

Commend or Complain about an Employee

Sheriff Hardwick is committed to providing all citizens and visitors of St. Johns County first class customer service and the best possible law enforcement services available.

As a means of constantly striving to improve police performance and maintain the highest respect from the community, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office:

  1. Seeks citizen input for improvement in our services.
  2. Welcomes citizen commendations of our personnel who perform their duties admirably.
  3. Encourages questions and/or complaints regarding the agency’s performance or the actions of its employees whenever there is a concern.

Whether you wish to commend an employee or file a complaint about the actions of an employee, you may do so by completing the Citizen Commendation Form or the Citizen Complaint Form.

You may also file in person at the below listed address: 
4015 Lewis Speedway
St. Augustine, FL 32084

Anyone who needs assistance in completing these forms should call 904.209.1493 to contact an Internal Affairs representative.

In order to preserve the integrity of the process, all investigations of misconduct are based on sworn testimony given in writing and in tape-recorded oral interviews. In the interest of fairness, it is important that Florida Statutes 837.06 and 775.082-083-084 are understood by anyone making an official statement in connection with an official investigation. Whoever knowingly makes a false statement with the intent to mislead a public servant in the performance of their official duty shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree. Further, if the allegation(s) against the officer are unfounded, the accused has the right to pursue civil recourse against the complainant.

BIASED POLICING POLICY

It is the policy of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office to patrol in a proactive manner, to aggressively investigate suspicious persons and circumstances, and to actively enforce the motor vehicle laws. It is also the policy that citizens will only be stopped or detained when there exists reasonable suspicion to believe they have committed, are committing, or are about to commit an infraction of the law. It is this proactive enforcement that keeps our citizens, our streets, and our highways safer. It also enables us in detecting and apprehending criminals. All laws shall be enforced equally, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, sex, physical handicap, or religion, and biased policing shall not be tolerated in enforcement efforts. This standard is established in accordance with Florida State Statute 30.15. SJSO policies prohibit biased policing, and members are responsible for ensuring that all citizens of the community are treated with dignity and respect. All sworn SJSO members receive initial and in-service training in proactive enforcement tactics. In addition, biased policing issues, including the legal aspects, are also provided during this in-service training. All training is in accordance with the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission requirements.