Richton Park Village Clerk Mike Jordan administered the oath of office twice to the village’s new deputy police chief, Jerel Jones, giving first the Board of Trustees, then the audience and TV cameras a chance to witness the event.
Jones’ oath of office attracted attention in part because of his controversial termination as police chief of Flossmoor in March after serving as the village’s first Black chief for a little more than 11 months.
Among the audience were more than a dozen Flossmoor residents who had opposed Jones’s firing, including two trustees, Rosalind Mustafa and Joni Bradley-Scott.
Following the administration of the oath of office, Jones’ uncle, Lonnie Jones, a retired Chicago police officer, presented his nephew with a special memento after listing the family’s multiple generations of work in law enforcement.
“I’d like to present him with my father’s retirement badge,” Lonnie Jones said. “I’ve held this badge for a while, and I said it’s gonna be a great day when I give it to my nephew.”
Hazel Crest Police Chief Mitchell Davis also offered comments in support of Jones’ hiring. Davis is a Richton Park resident and serves as the second national vice president for the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).
The audience that spilled out into the village hall lobby included a number of NOBLE members there to show support for Jones. Nearly two dozen NOBLE members attended two Flossmoor village board meetings earlier this year to show support for the embattled chief.
The organization also supported Jones when he announced on March 11 that he was filing a federal lawsuit accusing the village of violating his civil rights. The village has denied the accusations in the suit, which is pending.
“The path may not have been the path that he thought he was going to be on, but the destination ended up being where he’s supposed to be,” Davis said. “We are here because this is just an amazing human being. You could not have made a better choice.”
Jones took the microphone briefly to thank NOBLE, village leaders and his family for their trust.
“I come from a family of law enforcement three generations deep, and I don’t take this position (or) this profession lightly,” he said. “This is a very noble profession, and I have been blessed to serve in so many facets of law enforcement in such a short span of time.”
Village Manager Regan Stockstell said he had been working with Jones for going on three weeks and believes the village made a good choice. He thanked the village Police and Fire Commission for its work.
“Our process selected the best candidate for the position,” he said. “We have a gem with us. His resume is impeccable … and he is a strong advocate of community policing, which I know this board has been demanding for in our law enforcement department.”
Jones fills the position that has been open since Deputy Chief Rodney Owens retired in January, according to Stockstell. He will work under Police Chief Demitrous Cook, who has been in the position since November 2021.
Mustafa and Bradley-Scott, who both voted against the motion to dismiss Jones as Flossmoor police chief, indicated they still support him.
“They’ve picked a really great man,” Mustafa said. “He’s capable. He’s of highest integrity, and I think Richton Park will benefit greatly from his working here.”
“Our loss was their gain,” Bradley-Scott said. “I know that great things are going to happen here. This room was full. People don’t stand up for people that they don’t believe in. People don’t stand up and put their names on the line and their reputation on the line for people who are not credible. It’s disappointing that we failed to do our part.”
Bradley-Scott has announced plans to run for mayor of Flossmoor in the April 2025 election.
