Cayce, SC (Paul Kirby) – Sources within both departments have confirmed that Major J.J. Jones is leaving the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department to take the position of assistant director of public safety in the City of Cayce. Jones is a very experienced law enforcement professional who could be counted on to provide common sense and solid leadership skills mixed with a personal understanding and an appreciation of people while with Lexington County.
According to the sheriff’s department, Major John E. "JJ" Jones has worked with the Lexington County Sheriff's department since 1997. He began his career at the University of South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement and Public Safety in 1995.
According to the sheriff's website, Major Jones was over operations at the Lexington County Sheriff's Office where he supervised 350+employees. He served under the leadership of Sheriff Jay Koon since he was originally elected. Prior to that, he served under Sheriff James R. Metts for many years.
Major Jones is a 1992 graduate of Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School and a 1996 graduate of the University of South Carolina. In 2012 Jones graduated from the Anderson University Command College with a master’s degree in law enforcement leadership. In 2013 Major Jones graduated from the FBI National Academy Class 253.
Jones lives in Lexington County with his wife Laura and son Jacob. In his down time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and coaching little league football. He is also an accomplished outdoor cook who was relied on each year to provide the food for the sheriff’s department’s annual Relay for Life and other events.
Jones will replace Jim Crosland at Cayce who has been offered the job as assistant city manager. He was a great leader in the police department as second to Chief Byron Snellgrove. Snellgrove runs an efficient and popular department, one of the few in the Midlands that has a waiting list for employment and isn’t struggling to hire officers in a time when the private sector is strong and people are more apt to take private sector jobs.
At the sheriff’s department, Jones was known as a well liked but efficient commander. Under the Metts’ administration, he often had the ability to calm frayed feelings and find common ground when a conflict arose. He was often the man who responded when a citizen was unhappy with the sheriff’s department and worked hard to make things right. In the end, most ended up happy with the compromise that Jones worked out. In short, Jones was known as a fixer under both the Metts and Koon administration.
Neither agency has confirmed when Jones will make the switch from Lexington County to Cayce. There are several great Captains that worked under Major Jones that would make competent replacements.
