By Jack Evans, News Editor
Former Oxford Police Department Lt. John Jones was officially promoted to Chief of Police on April 1 after having served as acting chief since Dec. 4 of last year.
Jones took over for Robert Holzworth, who began his term as chief in December 2012. Holzworth is struggling with an ongoing medical condition and has been on sick leave since Dec. 4, said Jones. The Oxford Police Department would not comment further on Holzworth's illness.
Jones was hired in 1998 as a part-time police dispatcher while a student at Miami University. He went on to graduate Miami in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in sociology and public administration. He also recieved a Master of Science in the administation of justice in 2011 from University of Louisville. His police career then continued with a promotion to full time officer in 2002 and he has spent the last 14 years with the Oxford Police Department.
Jones said he was selected as chief in large part due to his leadership ability, experience and passion for the community.
"I displayed leadership, I've been a proven supervisor here. Before being a police chief I was a lieutenant, before that I was a sergeant. I've always had that drive," Jones said. "I think people see me as being very driven and very community oriented with other activities that I do in the community."
Respect for the Oxford community and its members is a trait that runs very deep with Jones.
"I think I get respect from people in the community because I'm willing to listen. Everybody wants to be heard. They want to tell their story," Jones said. "I may know that I'm going to arrest them. And I may know that their story really isn't going to affect that decision to arrest but sometimes that opportunity to vent or to tell their side of the story is very relieving to them. Have that respect and treat people with the respect."
Those who work with Jones on a daily basis know that he is not someone who likes to sit still.
"He's very self-initiating, eager to bring order to life and not lazy, not in the least bit," said Lt. Lara Fening. Chief of Police is typically a desk job with multiple meetings a day, Fening said.
She believes Chief Jones is likely to break that mold.
"He is very non-traditional. I would venture to say that he will be out there working the street," Fening said.
Jones brings with him a strong focus on what he calls "community-oriented policing" to the office of Chief.
"Community-oriented policing is … partnering with the community to solve problems and issues," Jones said. "It's not just about crime problems, there may be parking issues, there may be litter issues, there may be quality of life issues. But whatever the issue is, we won't solve it ourselves."
Jones and the OPD are also applying this community-involved strategy to issues as complicated and broad as the recent trend in heroin use.
"With the current heroin problem, we are not going to arrest our way out of this problem, we are not going to be able to lock up every person responsible for heroin," Jones said. "We are going to have to partner with some people - a lot of different people - in that situation."
This past February, OPD installed officer Matt Wagers as the school resource officer for the Talawanda School District. Wagers works to provide school safety and, Chief Jones hopes, positive community relationships to young children.
"A lot of these kids are at-risk youth, and their view of law enforcement is at night when the parents are fighting or mom is passed out from heroin and the police are showing up," Jones said. "A lot of people don't think these things happen in oxford, but they do. That may be the only involvement they have with police officers."
Jones has long been a fixture in the Oxford community, and many locals have strong relationships with him. Cpt. Ben Spilman of the Miami University Police Department recalls time spent with Jones as they were both beginning their police careers.
"I knew him when he started with Miami as a student. In fact he and I were just talking on the phone a little bit ago and he reminded me of the time when I had taken him on a ride along with me when I was a patrol officer. I took him out to see some areas of campus, including some lesser known areas like the roof of King Library," Spilman said.