Jacksonville pastor Korey O’Neal receives FBI community leadership award for North Florida violent-crime prevention efforts

A federal recognition tied to local violence-reduction work

A Jacksonville pastor who has worked alongside law enforcement and community partners to steer at-risk residents away from violent crime has received a national FBI community leadership honor.

Pastor Korey O’Neal, program director for Project RISE, was selected by the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office as the recipient of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for 2024. The recognition is given through FBI field offices to individuals or organizations cited for contributions to preventing crime and violence.

What the award recognizes in Jacksonville

The FBI field office said O’Neal was recognized for partnering with federal agents and local law enforcement in efforts aimed at reducing violent crime and violent gang activity in North Florida, with a focus on proactive outreach to young people and families considered at elevated risk.

The collaboration has been tied to a community-based violence-reduction approach involving the FBI’s Jacksonville Safe Streets Task Force and additional community partners. The field office said that partnership work has been active since 2021.

“I’m building a legacy of impact, not a record of possessions,” O’Neal said in remarks shared by the FBI. “I choose to be impactful instead of impressive.”

Programs cited: “The Hope and the Hammer” and tailored support through Project RISE

One initiative highlighted by the FBI is known as “The Hope and the Hammer.” The approach involves regular visits to households identified as being at risk for involvement in violent crime or violent gangs. Those visits include law enforcement personnel—among them FBI special agents—alongside O’Neal, with the stated goal of offering alternatives and connecting families to services.

Project RISE’s work, as described by the FBI, includes individualized support and referrals that can span:

• job placement and educational pathways
• medical services, rehabilitation, and mental health resources
• financial assistance and access to community facilities
• faith-based support networks
• legal assistance and social-service connections, including WIC-related services
• tattoo removal services

How the DCLA works nationally

The FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award was created in 1990 and is awarded through FBI field offices around the country. Each field office selects a community partner to recognize annually as part of the program.

Local context: collaboration as a prevention strategy

The Jacksonville-area recognition is rooted in a prevention framework that relies on repeated contact with families, engagement outside of enforcement actions, and coordinated referrals to services. The FBI has described the work as part of a broader strategy to reduce violence through early intervention with people considered at risk, rather than waiting until cases enter the criminal-justice system.

O’Neal’s award is tied to that ongoing collaboration and to Project RISE’s role in connecting participants with practical alternatives and support intended to reduce the likelihood of violent-crime involvement.