There are three words John “JJ” Jones, a graduate of the Anderson University School of Public Service and Administration, lives by: “God, Family, Cops.”
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association (SCLEOA) and South Carolina Police Chiefs Association (SCPCA) named Jones as their new executive director, starting May 17, 2021.
Jones is a graduate of the second cohort of the Command College of South Carolina at Anderson University, part of the School of Public Service and Administration. His start in police work was as a University of South Carolina student reserve officer. Jones’ 26-year law enforcement career has been spent with the University of South Carolina Police Department, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department (LCSD) and Cayce Department of Public Safety. He is also a 2013 graduate of the FBI National Academy, Class 253, and has been decorated 26 times, including decorations for life saving, valor and representing LCSD as 2008 S.C. Sheriff’s Association Deputy of the Year.
Jones owes his successes to a supportive family.
“I could have never done any of that without my wife, Laura Jones, and my son, Jacob Price Jones and my parents,” Jones said.
“JJ was an outstanding student in The Command College. He is very outgoing and bright. He will do a great job as the new director. We are very proud to have him as a Command College graduate,” said George Ducworth, coordinator of recruitment and career development at the School of Public Service and Administration.
Jones looks forward to being a voice for law enforcement professionals across South Carolina in his new role.
“My job is to go out and serve the police officers in South Carolina, serve the police chiefs and be the best example for them I can be,” Jones said.
Jones enrolled in The Command College while serving in the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office.
“I looked into it and it was obvious that was exactly the master’s degree I needed to pursue. I went up and met George Ducworth and Jeff Black. George and Jeff are probably the two biggest reasons I picked The Command College,” Jones said. He feels that the biggest value of his experience at The Command College was being able to network with other law enforcement executives and to learn how they deal with various issues they encounter.
“Being able to bounce my problems off of them and come up with a cogent plan… It was just nice having that many brains around that had done what I had done. They had 10 of my problems and were able to help work me through them,” Jones said.
Created in 1941, SCLEOA is a professional organization for law enforcement officers with the common goal of advancing the law enforcement profession in South Carolina. SCLEOA has more than 7,000 officers from municipal, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Details can be found on their website at scleoa.org. SCLEOA encourages the public to join as associate members to join in supporting law enforcement professionals.
The South Carolina Police Chiefs Association works toward enhancing knowledge and skills of the police executive which strengthens his/her ability to meet the demands of providing the best possible law enforcement services. Details can be found on their website at scpolicechiefs.org.