San Marco Merchants take steps to enhance safety

Private security service to ease concerns of shoppers, business owners

The San Marco Merchants Association has hired Excelsior Security Agency to provide private security protection for the shops and businesses around San Marco Square.

San Marco Square had been experiencing a problem that has become common in many gathering places around Jacksonville. Vagrants had been loitering around the stores and the Square. Too many would panhandle and disturb customers and people just walking around the neighborhood.  

Merchants Association President Scott Wohlers said the move was needed to protect businesses and their customers from being harassed. “We identified a need and an increase of vagrants in San Marco and in an effort to make it the pristine place it is in Jacksonville we saw the opportunity to provide security services to help shop owners (and customers) feel safe as they patronize San Marco,” he said.

Excelsior provides security for over 50 properties and neighborhoods in the Jacksonville area.

Excelsior Chief of Service Sean Saunders said they patrol the area in marked vehicles several times a day on a random schedule and are on-call 24 hours a day for emergencies. “We show up and handle whatever issues they may have,” he said. “That could be the restaurants dealing with a ‘dine and dash’ situation or an unruly guest at the bar or anything happening in the Square.”

Saunders said they try not to just run out any vagrants who are in the area but try to get them some help if they need it. “We don’t just go out there and say ‘Hey, you’ve got to go.’ We work really hard to get the city involved. There are several agencies out there like Mission House and Changing Homelessness. We try to get them involved and try to get (the vagrants) resources,” he said.

The merchants say they are very happy with the results. There have been far fewer incidents and vagrants since Excelsior was hired in February.

Saunders said they are responding to about 20 calls a month in the Square, mostly regarding vagrants. He said the number has dropped sharply since their patrols began.   

Desiree Bailey at the San Marco Bookstore said it’s been a welcome change. “I think it’s fantastic,” she said. “The Merchants Association does a lot behind the scenes. This is one of the things that I don’t know if a lot of people are aware of but it’s something we saw a need for.” 

Saunders said Excelsior works closely with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. He said there are some private security agencies in Jacksonville who are “doing it the wrong way, not remembering at the end of the day that we are not law enforcement.” Saunders said they are careful to point out they are not the police and don’t have the power to arrest people. They work with JSO when needed.

He said other neighborhoods that have experienced problems with vagrants and minor crimes like graffiti and loitering could do well for themselves to also consider hiring private security. Sanders said it’s not a detriment against The Sheriff’s Office. It’s just that in a city as large as Jacksonville, the JSO is stretched thin and can’t spend a lot of time providing the services private security can provide.

By Kevin J. Meerschaert
Resident Community News

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