GROUP ASKS SHERIFF TO SHELVE UNDERCOVER STINGS

A local citizens group called on Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford
on Friday to immediately suspend all undercover sting operations
pending a review of policies and procedures by an independent board.

That request was included in a letter to Rutherford that the group
distributed to reporters during a news conference at the Police
Memorial Building.

The group, led by a mayoral candidate and two City Council hopefuls,
calls itself the Coalition of Concerned Citizens.

The letter requested a meeting with the sheriff to "discuss the recent
murders by the Jacksonville Sheriff Office."

That was a reference to two recent incidents in which Jacksonville
undercover police posing as drug dealers shot and killed 18-year-old
Douglas Woods on Jan 20 and 80-year-old Isaac Singletary on Jan. 27.
Authorities said Woods pointed a gun at an officer and fired at least
three times in a robbery attempt. Singletary was shot after he
confused the officers for drug dealers.

Sheriff's Office spokesman Ken Jefferson said again Friday that police
have suspended operations by the two undercover units involved in the
shootings but will continue other undercover operations.

James Evans-Muhammad, who is running for City Council in District 10,
questioned the necessity for stings in which police pose as drug
dealers. All such operations accomplish, he said, is to arrest a few
drug addicts. Instead, he said, police should concentrate on pursuing
drug dealers.

Joining Evans-Muhammad at the news conference was mayoral candidate
Jackie Brown and Elouise Saunders Bolden, a candidate for City Council
in District 9. Brown complained that children witnessed Singletary's
death but were offered no grief counseling.

In addition to asking Rutherford to suspend undercover stings, the
letter asked Rutherford to:

Disclose the level of diversity training given to undercover
officers.

Disclose what disciplinary action has been used with officers involved
in the shootings.

Increase funding for drug prevention, treatment and education for
at-risk communities.

Evans-Muhammad, a school teacher who co-founded the coalition, said he
hand-delivered copies of his letter to the Sheriff's Office and the
Mayor's Office. Late Friday he said he hadn't received a response but
was optimistic he would get one.

The sheriff did not respond to a request by the Times-Union for a
comment made through his public information office.