City of Fernandina Beach Police Department
April 16, 2021
Editor’s Note: Fernandina Beach Police Chief Jim Hurley will soon be retiring after 15 years of exemplary service to our community. May 1, 2006, was a great day when Chief Hurley and his wife Susan arrived in Fernandina Beach. As we have witnessed events showing excessive use of force by police followed by community unrest, those of us in Fernandina Beach have held our heads up high because we have Jim Hurley as our chief and a well-trained staff. Jim Hurley is an honorable man, well-respected by his staff and all those who have come to know him. After a stellar career in South Florida, he landed in Fernandina Beach, a community he has grown to love. Thank you, Chief Hurley for all you have done to keep us safe. Our best wishes to you and Susan as you begin your retirement years.
Even as the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin continues in Minneapolis, once again Americans are reeling from another controversial police involved shooting death in Minnesota. I encourage those dismayed by these incidents to insist on transparency, accountability and the proper administration of justice, but to refrain from inappropriate or violent behavior.
Our mission locally is to continue to support our police officers by hiring the most qualified candidates, and by providing them with the best available equipment, training, and appropriate policies and guidelines, while also holding them to the highest professional standards of performance. And we must continue to build lasting, meaningful relationships within our community so that communication is a reliable and constant two-way street.
A video of the “Chief’s Message,” was filmed on February 16th of this year as part of our relationship with the Nassau County (FL) Racial Equality Coalition. A special thank you to Pastor Darryl Bellar and the video production team at the Journey Church (Yulee, FL) for their assistance in producing this video.
The city/county needs a more diverse police force (brown and black officers). The above photo doesn’t depict diversity. The city needs to provide sidewalks to neighborhoods of color we do not have to walk in the middle of the street to and fro. South 10th street have zero sidewalks but 18th street does. What is the visual difference in the neighborhood. We all pay taxes.