The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) is the unified city-county law enforcement agency for Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida, created on October 1, 1968, when the city and county governments merged after 65% of voters approved consolidation. Although its roots date back to 1822 with the appointment of the first sheriff, James Dell, the modern JSO replaced the Jacksonville Police Department and the Duval County Sheriff's Office, becoming one of the largest consolidated agencies in the country. While the JSO patrols most of the county, smaller cities like Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach, and Neptune Beach retain their own police, though Baldwin disbanded its force in 2006 to let the JSO take over services. In 2022, the agency faced controversy when Sheriff Mike Williams resigned after moving to nearby Nassau County, violating a residency rule, prompting Governor Ron DeSantis to appoint interim Sheriff Pat Ivey before T.K. Waters won the November special election to replace him. The department has carried Glock 17 pistols since the late 1980s, and it continues to oversee primary policing, investigations, and corrections, while also managing civil court processes like evictions for the region.