Duval County Public Schools

Chief Jackson W. Short

Chief of School Police

Chief Short joined the Duval County School Police Department in May of 2024 with over 26 years of progressive law enforcement experience. Chief Short most recently served as the Chief Investigator for the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida’s State Attorney’s Office. Prior to that, Chief Short served for 25 years with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, rising to the rank of Director of Investigations and Homeland Security.

Chief Short earned a master’s degree in Homeland Security from the American Military University and is a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy (Session 272) and the Senior Management Institute for Police (Session 81).

Chief Short and his wife are both graduates of Duval County Public Schools and are raising one daughter, who also attends Duval County Public Schools.

Lieutenant Amber M. Gazdick

Department Fleet, Supply & Inventory, K9, and Secondary Employment

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Amber has served with the Duval County School Police since 2008. She started in the Patrol Division, and after attending the Field Training Officer course, she became a certified Field Training Officer.  As a Field Training Officer, she trained numerous officers and excelled in her supervisory position.

Amber was promoted to the rank of Patrol Sergeant in January 2013 as a night patrol Sergeant. Amber served as an FTO Sergeant for 4 years while assigned to night patrol. She became an SRO Sergeant in August 2015 and was assigned to the south-west zone, supervising 8 officers who covered three high schools, four middle schools, and thirteen elementary schools.

Amber is an instructor for Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings, Active Attack Integrated Response, Active Shooter Incident Management, and Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events. Amber was instrumental in bringing the Below 100 campaign to our Agency and is our current Below 100 Instructor.

Amber was promoted to the position of Lieutenant in April 2016. She serves as the Lieutenant over Patrol Investigations, Department Fleet, Supply & Inventory, Emergency Preparedness, Secondary Employment, and the K-9 Unit.

Lieutenant Matthew A. Black

Head of Operations, Westside Lieutenant - Zones 1,4, and 5

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Matthew started with the school district in 2011 and joined the School Police in 2013 on the agency’s Night Patrol, where he learned to successfully navigate every campus in Duval County. In 2014, he became the SRO at Sandalwood High School and was nominated for SRO of the year.

He was promoted to Sergeant in 2017. He started his leadership position on Night Patrol and soon after transferred to the Westside, leading the SSO’s on the Golf Squad. In 2021, he transferred to the city’s Eastside, leading the SSO’s on the Echo Squad.

He is a Certified School Safety Officer, Certified Field Training Officer/Sergeant, Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool assessor, Duval County Emergency Operations Center Hurricane Liaison, Virtra simulation de-escalation instructor, and was awarded for his assistance with the ALERRT (active shooter response) program.

He achieved his Bachelor’s in public safety management, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2023 and was promoted to Lieutenant in January 2024. Matthew believes in building strong relationships between law enforcement, students, and the community and is committed to working with students to turn negative behavior into teachable moments.

Lieutenant Stefanie A. Walker

Head of Operations, Eastside Lieutenant - Zones 2,3, and 6

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Prior to joining the Duval County School Police in 2017, Stefanie retired from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office after 25 years of dedicated service.

While at the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, she spent 2 years in the Patrol Division and 23 years in the Community Engagement Unit as a Drug Abuse Resistant Education Officer (D.A.R.E.), School Resource Officer, and School Safety Officer.  While assigned to the Community Engagement Unit, Stefanie had the privilege of being a School Crossing Guard Supervisor, organizer for the Washington D.C. Safety Patrol Trip, certified instructor, and Co-Senior Advisor for the Police Explorer Program.  Stefanie was also a member of the J.S.O. Incident Command Team.

In 2018, she was promoted to the rank of Sergeant for Duval County School Police, supervising School Safety Officers who work in schools in the Northside area of the city.  In 2020, Stefanie was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant as Head of Operations over the Eastside, consisting of Zones 2,3, & 6.

Stefanie received her BS degree from Liberty University in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice.

She is also a certified instructor for the Duval County School Police, using her training and experience to train and prepare officers for the field.

Lieutenant J.D. Harness

Administrative Lieutenant, Recruitment, Investigations, Community Engagement, Honor Guard, and Emergency Preparedness

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Prior to his journey with the Duval County School Police, he worked with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (J.S.O.) as a detective before retiring in 2014 with 25 years of service.

While at J.S.O., he served as a detective in the burglary and offender tracking unit and worked with the Duval County School Board assisting in training and investigations.

After starting with the Duval County School Police, J.D. served as a School Resource Officer prior to being promoted to Sergeant in 2016.  For two years, he supervised Northside schools and was then promoted to Lieutenant in 2018. In March of 2023, he transitioned to the Administration Lieutenant position. As the Administrative Lieutenant, he is the Commanding Officer of the Recruitment and Selection Unit, Police Communications Division, and Emergency Preparedness, while assisting Chief Burton with School Safety Specialists duties for the District.

J.D. is a graduate of Livingston University where he received his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.  He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Lieutenant Jesse E. York

Training, Professional Oversight Section, and Policy & Procedures

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Police Lieutenant Jesse York honorably served in the United States Marine Corps with the military police, and afterward joined the Atlantic Beach Police Department, Atlantic Beach, Florida. In 1988 Lt. York transitioned to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Duval County, Florida, and served as a Police Lieutenant for fifteen years.

While at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, he served in Crisis Negotiations, Field Training Officer program, Leadership Development Instructor, Emergency Management, Special Events, Spanish speaking interpreter, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, and Investigations. In 2021, Lt. York was assigned as a Patrol Watch Commander in Zone 4 and retired after 34 years of public service.

In January 2022, Lt. York started his career with the Duval County School Police Department and oversees the Department of Professional Oversight, which covers Training, Professional Standards, and Policy.