Wednesday, March 28, 2007 Jacksonville, Fla.    

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has partnered with Character Counts! In Jacksonville to present the first monthly Six Pillars of Character Award at the March Meritorious Awards Ceremony. The award is for any JSO employee who demonstrates one of the Six Pillars of Character; trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. Nominations are open to the public. Click here to access the Six Pillars of Character nomination form.

 

Sheriff John Rutherford will recognize Detective PJ Jackson, of the Technical Services Unit, as the first recipient of the newly established award. At the urging of the concerned  child's mother, Detective Jackson intervened in the life of a young man, counseling him not to drop out of school, to be more respectful of his mother and not  run away from home. The encounter took place several months ago, at the JTA bus terminal. The young man later called Jackson to thank him for his help and to let him know that because of Detective Jackson's concern and caring, he has stayed in school, is working hard to raise his grades, and is being more respectful of his mother.

 

"I believe that the Six Pillars of Character are the very characteristics we want our employees demonstrating to each other and in our interactions with the public," said Sheriff John Rutherford. "Inaugurating this monthly award will give us an opportunity to showcase real life acts of character by our employees," he said.

 

 "Detective Jackson demonstrated kindness and compassion in his handling of the young man's situation, and in addressing his mother's fears and frustrations. We're proud to be recognizing PJ for these act of character, which are above and beyond the call of duty," Rutherford commented.

 

Additional Information:

The Six Pillars of Good Character are Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness and Citizenship.

 

Any citizen or fellow JSO employee can nominate any employee of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for the Six Pillars of Character Award. Nomination forms are available on the JSO website at www.coj.net/jso.

 

For more information or to nominate someone, please contact at Katherine.Seay@jaxsheriff.org or call 904-630-2102.

"CHARACTER COUNTS! In Jacksonville" is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian character development and ethics training organization dedicated to strengthening the character of Jacksonville's youth and adults by teaching core ethical values called the "Six Pillars of Character":  trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.  We are a member of the national "CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition" which is endorsed by the President, both houses of Congress, some 40 states and more than 1,000 communities, counties, school districts, and chambers of commerce.  Through common values and concerted action, the coalition has become the accepted leader in character education throughout the nation.

The mission of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is to protect the lives and property of the citizens of this community, to preserve the peace and to prevent crime and disorder while constantly guarding personal liberties as prescribed by law.