OUPD chief ends a civil service career

by Liz Shirey
THE POST

As a retirement gift to himself, Ohio University Police Department Chief Ted Jones just bought a new motorcycle to replace his old one. Jones has been a familiar face in the Athens civil service profession for 35 years, but at the end of October he will step out of the limelight and into the comforts of life without a schedule.

Jones, 60, did not always want to be police officer. He was born in Charleston, W.Va., and his family moved to Southeast Ohio in 1952. He joined the military after high school, but he decided he did not want to make a career of it.

"When I was young, policing was not recognized as a real profession by the public. There was no mandate for training officers and no education," Jones said. "I was a reluctant member of the profession to begin with and not intrigued at all by a life of policing."

But when the Athens Police Department created dispatcher positions, Jones took the job because he had difficulty finding one elsewhere. His first work day began at midnight. Only after a promotion did he see himself staying with the department on a permanent basis, Jones said.

"For the first time, I saw a potential career path opening up and knew I needed to make an internal commitment to it," he said. "Commitment to the profession and the departments I've been affiliated with is one of the things that has gotten me where I am today."

Having technical knowledge in one's field is also important Jones said, but he believes being approachable by the people in the community is equally - if not more - important. "I care a great deal about the people and see what I do as a mission, not as a job," Jones said.

Tony M. Camechis, associate director of the OUPD, has worked closely with Jones since 1977 and said he has learned a great deal from him about managing law enforcement agencies and being committed to the profession.

"Ted has dedicated a great deal of his life to the betterment of the community and his profession and has gained a great deal of respect from myself and his peers," Camechis said. "His commitment speaks the highest of him because that is what law enforcement is all about. It's not what you see on the cop shows; it's about keeping the community safe and finding ways to do that."

As well as trying to keep the community safe, Jones worked very hard to keep his four children safe. He said he felt his children were always proud of him and the profession he chose, but he made sure that the family was not part of the high-profile lifestyle.

"The controversial nature of my job could have had serious impacts on my kids, so I tried my best to protect them from interviews and other things that might have upset them," Jones said.

In 1988, Jones transferred from the APD to the OUPD. Jones said two of the hardest things he's had to deal with while at the OUPD have been Halloweens and the suicide of a longtime friend and fellow officer. But the support of others helped Jones make it through the bad times.

"Having good people working with me and good people I report to have made hard situations easier," Jones said. "They have given me the latitude and support to use my own creativity to deal with the job or challenge at hand."

Athens Mayor Ric Abel, who was once Dean of Engineering at OU, saw first-hand how Jones worked on campus. Abel said Jones did a great job wherever he went, whether he was working for the city or the university.

"I can't think of one negative thing I could say about Ted," Abel said. "And I have never heard anything negative about him from anyone else. He does a good job."

The Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police also thinks Jones has done a good job. It has established the Theodore S. Jones Service Award to honor and recognize his 35 years of service to the profession.

The award will be presented annually to a chief of police in Ohio who has demonstrated a career dedicated to the highest standards of leadership, courage, wisdom and unselfish devotion to the professionalization of the office of Chief of Police, according to a news release.

Jones said he never expected he would receive that type of recognition.

"I've been really fortunate to have people say kind things whether I deserve them or not," Jones said. "The most significant, obviously, is what comes from colleagues who know what I do and what I'm supposed to do. For these people to say the things they've said is awesome!"

Jones said he has no plans yet for his retirement. At one point in his life he was an avid reader with two books going at one time. He said he looks forward to getting back to that as well as gardening and hunting.

"All I really want to do is get reacquainted with my family and friends and adjust to not having anymore responsibilities," Jones said.

Looking back on the past 35 years, Jones said he has no regrets.

"I've had a good career," he said. "Sometimes I look back on my personal and professional life and wish things had turned out differently, but I don't regret my decisions and I don't second guess what I did."