City of Goose Creek

JaCarie Jones was a young child when he learned firsthand about the profession that would change his life. 

A police officer that patrolled JaCarie’s neighborhood in Houston, Texas, always took time to talk to the youngster.  “I would visit with him while he was on patrol,” JaCarie said. “We would talk, and he would tell me about his job. I used to sit with him while he was doing extra patrols, and he’d show me how to work all the stuff in his car. That was the start. Ever since that interaction, I wanted to be a police officer. It was set in stone.”

Those life-changing visits with the Houston officer are never far from the mind of Goose Creek Police Officer JaCarie Jones. He joined the Goose Creek Police Department last year shortly after moving from Texas to his wife’s home state of South Carolina.  “I’m big on community outreach,” he said. “That’s one of the most important things we can do on this job – get out and talk to people in the community. It starts with a conversation. Let them see your face and hear your voice.”

Community outreach has been a hallmark of GCPD Chief LJ Roscoe’s department, and Officer Jones knows that he has found the right place for him.

What is the best part of his job as a Goose Creek Police Officer? “Helping someone who is feeling like they are having the worst day of their life,” he said. “Talking to them, and letting them know it will all get better.” 

Officer Jones had just arrived in Goose Creek when police were called to the home of a man who had died suddenly. As his fellow officers spoke with the grieving wife, Officer Jones noticed that the man had been cutting the grass. “He was cutting the grass, and he stopped,” Officer Jones remembers. “And now he’s gone. I thought, the one thing I can do, is finish the grass.” 

The simple yet comforting gesture of finishing the lawn work was deeply appreciated by both the man’s wife and neighbors, who let City officials know what happened. A few weeks later, Mayor Habib honored Officer Jones at a City Council meeting, and thanked him for his already-impactful service to the City. 

The words from the Mayor were another indication that Officer Jones was in the right profession. It also helped him realize that he and his wife – along with their young children – were in the right place.

For young people interested in joining law enforcement, he has this advice:  “Go for it. Don’t let anything stop you,” said Officer Jones, who had received several discouraging “no’s” on his search for a job in law enforcement when, by chance, he met several Goose Creek officers. 

In fact, it was the GCPD’s presence at a community event made that meeting possible. “I was at an event with my wife and her friend, at Central Creek Park, and I saw the K-9 unit out there,” he said. An encouraging conversation with the officers led to his applying for a job at the GCPD. “I got a call the following day to come in,” he said. An extensive process of tests and training soon began, a process that ended with the young man from Texas becoming a police officer.

Becoming a police officer is difficult, he said, and the job can be incredibly challenging. And yet the rewards of the job are also great.

Thank you for your service, Officer Jones, and keep up the great work! 

#GooseCreekSC #creekrising #BlackHistoryMonth

« Back to News