Penny Jones

PENNY JONES

Penny Jones, a native of Vicksburg, MS, went to school for nursing because she always had a burning desire to help others. But her education had to take the back burner with the birth of her first daughter. Though she longed to go back to school, she realized she had to work and pay the bills.

With chidings and encouragement from friends and family, she decided to go to worked at the Vicksburg Police Department.

From the time she joined the police force in 1999, she has been an advocate for domestic violence. She remembers it being an eye-opener when she discovered there were three to four hundred calls per year, an average of more than one every day.

Fellow male officers recognized her concern and special interest in helping the victims. Eventually she would head up the domestic violence division for the department where she witnessed every kind of abusive situation that could occur.

Penny Jones has enjoyed quite a successful law enforcement career with the Vicksburg Police Department, having worked as an agent in the

In the 20 plus years on the force, she has kept her hand on the pulse of issues of abuse and domestic violence. She remembers once being a victim of her boyfriend as a young teenager.

narcotics and homicide divisions. She has been a detective, the patrol commander, and she has run the shift as the watch commander. Ms. Jones currently holds the highly esteemed position of Deputy Chief.

Jones fulfilled her dream of returning to school, earning a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice/ Law Enforcement as well as a master’s degree from Alcorn State University where she teaches police logistics. She is likewise a professor in criminology. She is considering the pursuit of another masters, or perhaps, a PhD. She has received the #1 Top Cop in Mississippi for her work in domestic violence.

In the 20 plus years on the force, she has kept her hand on the pulse of issues of abuse and domestic violence. She remembers once being a victim of her boyfriend as a young teenager. However, the aggressive rebound of her brothers diffused the will of her perp to repeat his behavior.

Deputy Chief Penny Jones cites two things that helped her walk away from abuse and its effects. For one, when she watched her brothers retaliate against her boyfriend for hitting her as a teenager, she knew she didn’t want to be the reason any of her brothers went to jail for hurting anyone she was with. The other thing that helped her to get free from the pain of domestic violence is helping other victims. The more she makes the difference in the lives of others, and shows them the way out, the more free and fulfilled she becomes.

As she grew to become an authority on the subject, she began to respond to requests for talks on violence in the home. She discovered that many people were embarrassed to admit their domestic troubles. Therefore, she has created a platform where it was safe to come out of their turmoil.

Taking her work a step further, Penny spends a lot of time as a liaison with victims to aid in the prosecution of their abusers. To help in their recovery, she founded a nonprofit organization called the Penny Center, Inc., located in Vicksburg, MS. Its purpose is manifold and includes the honing of life skills, financial literacy, adult basic education, housing and goal setting. The purpose is to regain one’s dignity and to graduate them empowered to live again. Supporters may reach Penny Jones at www.thepenicenter.com, or thepenicenter@gmail.com.

Penny Jones’ story can be heard on a previous episode of New Beginnings Radio co-hosted by Ministers Kolean W. Sanders and Sheldon Gooch https://bbsradio.com/podcast/newbeginnings-january-11-2020

Written by: Sheldon Gooch September 2020