State Attorney Melissa Nelson and her office are being recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice. U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez presented the “Outstanding Local Prosecutor’s Office Award” to Nelson, whose office handles prosecutions in Duval, Nassau and Clay counties.
The recognition is for the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort to reduce crime in Northeast Florida.
Part of the initiative’s strategy is to improve communities’ relationships with law enforcement.
To do that, Nelson’s Juvenile division provided one prosecutor for every middle and high school in Duval County to meet with students.
Nelson took office in 2017.
She’s one of only 2 state attorneys to receive this year’s award for outstanding work.
Michelle Corum can be reached at mcorum@wjct.org, 904-358-6308 or on Twitter at @MCorumonME.