Today marks one year since Jones was appointed as Vicksburg’s first Black female Police Chief

Wednesday, July 6, marks a full year since Penny Jones was named as the first Black female Police Chief in Vicksburg.

Jones joined the Vicksburg Police Department in 1999 and has worked in many positions during her tenure including; deputy chief, patrol commander, domestic violence officer, senior patrol officer, narcotics officer and criminal and crime scene investigator.

Jones was recognized by the Office of the Mississippi Attorney General in 2018 for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, receiving the Officer Response award. She has shared her experience on domestic violence in a YouTube video titled “Domestic Violence” Finding a Way Out.

Jones has also been recognized by the American Police Hall of Fame as National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year and was presented the Silver Star for Bravery and the Merit Award for Excellent Arrest.

Jones has earned the respect of her peers with her leadership and how she has affected the department.

“Just from her leadership standpoint and the direction she’s implemented for the whole PD has made a difference,” stated Deputy Chief Bobby Hill. “As far as crime goes, she’s consistent every day with the crime issues and issues in the community.”

Hill added that Jones has strived to maintain a balance with the community and has guided her team to understand the needs of the residents.

“We’ve got to enforce, but we also got to make sure that we understand what’s going on in the actual community. She’s done a good job on understanding the community, what they need and we try to implement as much as we can with her guidance.”

Citizens on Patrol (Photo by Keith Phillips)

Since her time as Chief of Police, Jones has increased the number of officers at VPD and taken a firm stance on crime within the city. She has opened herself up to the citizens to address issues concerning the public and has offered an inside look at how things operate within the police department with the Citizens on Patrol program.