Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson will appoint Jerel Jones as police chief at a special village board meeting on Monday, March 27, where trustees are expected to unanimously approve the appointment. Jones will assume his duties on March 29.
“We are thrilled to have Chief Jerel Jones join the fine men and women of Flossmoor’s Police Department,” Nelson said. “His experiences and outlook make him well qualified to address our community’s public safety needs and challenges. I hope you all will take the time to get to know our new chief and welcome him to Flossmoor.”
In Flossmoor, the position of police chief is a mayoral appointment with a confirming vote by the village board. The position reports on a day-to-day basis to the village manager.
Jones’s appointment followed an extensive nationwide search. If appointed, he will succeed former Chief Tod Kamleiter, who retired in December 2022. Deputy Chief Keith Taylor has served as interim chief since then.
He joins the Flossmoor Police Department with 16 years in law enforcement. Jones was with the Western Illinois University Police Department for 12 years serving in patrol, community policing and the investigations division. He has been the police chief in Macomb, Illinois, since 2021 and was the city’s first African American police chief. Jones has participated in a host of community-based initiatives, including youth outreach.
Jones was selected to lead the Flossmoor Police Department because of his wealth of knowledge and experience in 21st century law enforcement operations and leadership. According to a village press release, Jones has instilled a culture in the Macomb Police Department that puts into practice the NAACP/ILACP Ten Shared Principles, which is designed to build trust and stronger relationships between law enforcement and communities, values equally important to Flossmoor.
He also held a concurrent assignment with the Macomb/McDonough County Task Force serving with the Macomb Police Department and McDonough County Sheriff’s Office to work on several drug-related investigations. Jones occasionally assisted the city and county agencies with general criminal investigations, in addition to assisting several state and federal law enforcement agencies with major cases as a detective.
Following his service with the WIU Police Department, Jones was promoted to lieutenant with the Bradley University Police Department in Peoria, where he commanded Criminal Investigations, Day Shift Patrol Operations and Crime Prevention (Community Policing Division). He also served with the McDonough County Sheriff’s Office as operations lieutenant, where he commanded patrol operations, investigations and training for patrol deputies and detectives.
Village Manager Bridget Wachtel said, “Throughout this rigorous recruitment process, Chief Jerel Jones stood out as a progressive law enforcement executive, capable of leading our department. We look forward to Chief Jones joining our executive team and working collaboratively with our staff and surrounding communities to provide outstanding public safety services.”
Jones holds a Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration and a Master of Arts in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration from Western Illinois University. He completed professional studies at Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command and served as class president. Jones is an adjunct instructor for the Western Illinois University- School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.
He has served on the Western Illinois University Anti-Racism Task Force, the Western Illinois University Strategic Planning Committee, and the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration Paramedic Program Board. He is an advocate for the advancement of diversity in law enforcement and youth services.
“I am honored to join the village of Flossmoor team as chief of police, and I am looking forward to building stronger relationships within the police department, throughout the Village of Flossmoor, and the surrounding communities,” Jones said.
Jones and his wife, Brandy, and their two children originally are from Chicago. The village press release said Jones believes in positive change for our modern-day society and local communities.