Oxford welcomes newly promoted police sergeant
Last week, Anthony Jones, Jr. was sworn in as Oxford's newest police sergeant. He began his career at OPD in 2017 and most recently served on a countywide task force focused on drug enforcement.
Anthony Jones, Jr. has been a member of the team at the Oxford Police Department since 2017, but he’s spent much of the past few years out of town.
Until recently, Jones served on the Butler Undercover Regional narcotics Task Force (BURN Task Force), a multiagency team focused on preventing drug trafficking. That regional experience working with warrants and prosecutors and serving undercover himself, is part of the reason Jones has been chosen as the newest police sergeant for OPD.
When former Lieutenant Lara Fening retired from OPD this January, it set off a chain reaction of hiring at the department. Detective Sergeant Adam Price was promoted to Lieutenant in March, with another sergeant moving into the detective sergeant role. After a monthlong testing and interview process, Jones was officially sworn in as sergeant at an Oxford City Council meeting May 6. He is the first Black officer to hold the role within the department.
“Hopefully I make a good impression and do people proud,” Jones said. “All the different things that I’ve done since I’ve been [with OPD] that show that I’m ready to take on this new position.”
Jones’ interest in law enforcement dates back to his time at Ohio State University. None of his immediate family members had careers in law enforcement, but a college adviser recommended studying criminology. After taking internships with the Hamilton and Warren County Sheriff’s Offices, he began his career at the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in 2015. Two years later, one of his former instructors — and a former OPD employee — mentioned an opening in Oxford, and Jones was hired in 2017.
Since then, Jones has served in a variety of roles, including as a union representative since 2021. With the BURN Task Force, he’s learned about how other departments across the county approach policing. Oxford’s college town status impacts the types of incidents OPD responds to, he said, but also the community’s response to policing. The city created its Police Community Relations and Review Commission to improve communication and accountability between citizens and OPD in 2015, five years before George Floyd’s murder led to similar initiatives at police departments across the country.
“I like the way this department’s going,” Jones said. “This department’s way ahead of a lot of other places in terms of the PCRRC, we get really good equipment, we get really good training here.”
As a member of the BURN Task Force, Jones carried out controlled buys of illicit substances, executed search warrants and helped with countywide drug surveillance efforts. Those experiences have given him a broader perspective on policing, he said, and he’s looking forward to applying that perspective to the new position.
Patrol sergeants are first line supervisors who spend a lot of time directly interacting with patrol officers, dispatchers and parking enforcement, Police Chief John Jones said. Aside from fielding complaints, responding to calls and managing officers, Jones said they also act as leaders within the department and need to model ethical behavior, a role he sees Anthony Jones as well-suited for.
Beyond Anthony Jones’ experience with the BURN Task Force, John Jones said his time as both a patrol officer and a corrections officer contributed to his promotion.
“You could see in his career here at OPD that he was going to be a leader,” John Jones said. “We have informal leaders, and I think younger officers look up to [Anthony Jones] and go to him with questions.”
OPD has employed other Black patrol officers before, but Anthony Jones is the first to be promoted to a sergeant. John Jones said he hopes that helps younger people in the community see themselves represented in law enforcement and brings more diversity of thought to organizational decisions moving forward.
Anthony Jones’ promotion and other staffing pressures have left two patrol officer vacancies at OPD. The department accepted applications through May 5 and is reviewing candidates now.
