New JPD chief sworn in

It’s officially official.

Chief Joe Williams was pinned with his new badge as Jacksonville Police Department’s new chief. He was formerly chief of the Rusk Police Department.

His wife, Amy Williams, did the official pinning during a ceremony held for him on Friday, Feb. 7, at Jacksonville City Hall.

“Thank you to Sheriff Campbell, he really helped me a lot after I got here,” Williams said during the event. “To the Rusk people, we accomplished a lot in three years. Keep doing what you are doing. And I am looking forward to doing the same thing we did in Rusk here, just on a bigger scale.

“We all got in this line of work to help others, and sometimes we have to look in the mirror and ask ‘Are we still doing that? Is that still what our mission is?’

“We are all public servants and we need to get some of that servant back in it.”

Williams is a Marine Corps veteran with 27 years of law enforcement experience, including more than seven years of combined service as a police chief.

“I am confident that Joe Williams is a wonderful match for the city of Jacksonville,” Jacksonville City Manager Greg Smith said in an earlier interview. “His deep understanding of the mechanics of police management and community engagement, coupled with his proven leadership, will be important assets for our city for years to come.

“We are confident that Joe’s experience and dedication to the profession of law enforcement will immensely benefit the Jacksonville Police Department and the city of Jacksonville as a whole.”

Meanwhile, the search for a new Rusk police chief continues.

“We’re advertising the position with the Texas Municipal League, which covers the whole state, through March 15,” Rusk City Manager Jim Dunaway said. “We’ve received about 20 applications so far, which we’re pleased about.”

RPD Detective Stephen Hughes was named interim chief in January.