Those who keep us safe: Bill Jeffers

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Vicksburg Police Lieutenant Bill Jeffers has given over 30 years of service to those in Vicksburg and Warren County. On Friday, Jeffers retired from law enforcement but has never regretted a day he has served.

Bill Jeffers is a lifelong resident of Warren County whose roots are deeply planted. After graduating from Warren Central High School in 1985, Jeffers pursued a degree in criminal justice from Hinds Community College.

After earning his Associate’s Degree from Hinds, Jeffers continued his education and earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.

A Clear Path

Jeffers has always wanted to be involved with law enforcement. It was something that was rooted in his family, so it felt right for him to continue the legacy.

“You can say that law enforcement was a family thing,” said Jeffers. “My grandfather worked at the courthouse, so I always knew all the law enforcement officers. My aunt worked for Highway Patrol as a secretary and then in the Driver’s License Bureau, then she transferred to the police department as a dispatcher, then she became a patrol officer.”

His aunt moved on to investigations before Jeffers joined the department.

“She worked in investigations until she retired and went to Atlanta, Georgia where she actually went to work for a department over there.”

Bill Jeffers and His Career

Jeffers has served over three decades with both the Vicksburg Police Department and the Warren County Sheriff’s Department. He began his career working for the university’s police department and in 1992 began work as a jailor for the county. He left in 1993 to begin working for the Vicksburg Police Department as a patrol officer.

After achieving the rank of sergeant and working with the Vicksburg Police Department for over a decade, an opportunity presented itself at the Sheriff’s Department and he made the decision to pursue it and became a deputy.

He served for seven more years with the Sheriff’s Department but decided to move back to the Vicksburg Police Department once again to take advantage of offered benefits and has been with them since.

“I was promoted to sergeant and then promoted to lieutenant. I was in charge of a patrol shift,” stated Jeffers. “For the last four years, I’ve been in charge of the property and evidence warehouse. I handle all the evidence that is collected and make sure that it is prepared and ready to go to court.”

Throughout his career, Jeffers says he has never dreaded the job.

“For all of my career, it just felt right. I always enjoyed going to work,” said Jeffers. “Every day I got up, I enjoyed the idea of coming to work. I never dreaded it.”

Part of the reason he said he enjoyed his job so much was the fact that every day brought something new.

“You’re never going to experience a routine day that is just the same as yesterday. No matter what happens, it is going to be different than the day before,” said Jeffers. “There’s never going to be the same things that happen every day. It doesn’t feel boring and redundant”

In total, Jeffers has dedicated over 30 years to serving the local community.

Evolving Along the Way

Jeffers started his career before technologies such as the internet, cell phones and the ability to instantly contact someone anytime, anywhere, was the norm.

“30 years ago where we were with law enforcement, technology-wise, we had the old radio systems that would fill up the entire trunk of a car to now everything is hand-held, dang near,” said Jeffers.

Evolving technology trends is something Jeffers says has been a help to the job but has also made things more difficult.

Using the cell phone as an example, Jeffers stated, “When I started, we didn’t have cell phones. As cell phones progressed, so did the calls for service progress. Nowadays, our call volumes go up because a lot more things are reported because people have that instant ability to contact the police department, where in the past, they didn’t.”

Bill Jeffers Retires

Jeffers decided the time had come to retire from law enforcement and officially ended his duty on Friday.

“I’ve enjoyed serving the city of Vicksburg and the citizens of Warren County for the last 30 years. I have numerous friends that are all dear and precious. I want to thank the community for allowing me to be able to serve that long,” said Jeffers. I’ve enjoyed my career and I wish all the best to all those who are entering because it’s not an easy career.”

Jeffers says the job can be tough, not only on your physical body but for family members as well. However, the job can be very rewarding.

“If you do it and you love it, it is very fulfilling. There is no doubt about it,” said Jeffers.

Looking Ahead

Jeffers now plans to join the team at the Engineering and Research Development Center, working with their security department.

Words of Wisdom

Throughout his time in law enforcement, Jeffers has come to understand the value of life and stated the hardest thing to do is tell a family their loved one has died.

“Care for what you have. Care for your family because you never know what you’ll have tomorrow,” said Jeffers. “Family is important. Family is dear. Never just assume I can do it tomorrow because they’ll be there because there have been too many times I’ve seen that. There are no guarantees in life.

The guys that are coming in behind me have a difficult job ahead of them. Society looks on law enforcement differently than they did 30 years ago and I commend every officer that goes in and steps up to the plate to do this job.”