Biography
 I,
John W. Jones,
am 58 years old, single, and a
retired Police
Officer, with one adult daughter. I was
born and raised in Santa Barbara, California.
I was very active in the Boy Scouts, and earned my
Eagle Scout,
after developing the many skills required, including
very active camping and outdoor experiences, and
dedicated community service activities. My
extensive camping and back-packing experience
gave me a very special focus in the wilderness for
my faith, and I received the God and Country Award
after a year’s study in my
Presbyterian faith. I was selected for
membership in Scouting’s Order of the Arrow Honor
Campers’ Organization.
At the University of California, Santa
Barbara, I studied political processes and
institutions, politics and issues, and received my
Bachelor’s degree
in
Political Science.
I gained additional appreciation of peoples and
cultures with a second major in Anthropology. During
this time, I worked in retail businesses, became
experienced in business management, and
took additional course work in Business
Administration, before beginning a career in Law
Enforcement with the University of California
Police.
I worked with the University Police through the
demonstrations and riots of the Vietnam era during
the early 1970s, and came to appreciate working with
the counter-culture in the student community of Isla
Vista. I not only served the community extensively
on Foot and Bicycle Patrols, but also
initiated the State of California’s first
Community Service Officer Program, employing
citizen aides at the Police Department - a
widely-referenced model for subsequent similar
programs in other Police Departments throughout
California - and received recognition as ‘Police
Officer of the Year’ for exemplary
Commitment and Service to the Community.
I transferred to the University of California at
Davis Police Department in the latter 1970’s,
and soon initiated a Bicycle Patrol program
there, helping bring law enforcement closer in touch
with the student community. I quickly developed
wide-spread rapport with the entire community and
earned a respected reputation as a problem-solver
and ‘good guy’ - friend to all. Parallel with my
work efforts and Scouting relations, I served for
over 20 years as Advisor
to a very large
University co-ed Service
Fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, and received
their coveted Chapter (UC Davis) and Sectional (N.
Calif. & Nevada) ‘Distinguished
Service Keys’, for helping foster their
programs’ growth, leadership, and organization.
Shortly after arriving in Davis, I began a 12-year
tenure with a large (35 to 40 boys), very active
Scout Troop as Scoutmaster
(I had also been a Scoutmaster for 2 years in Santa
Barbara). I led the Scouts on hundreds of
days out camping, guided many service activities,
and proudly guided 34 boys through to their Eagle
Scout. With hundreds of miles of backpacking
experience in the Sierra Nevada's, Rocky Mountains,
and Marble Mountains, and canoeing California’s
lakes and rivers, I later served for 13 years as
Chairman and Director of a Council-wide
High Adventure Training Team,
providing instruction for Scouting Leaders in backpacking skills,
canoeing, etc.. Due to my many combined contributions of leadership and
service to Scouting, I was awarded the Council-wide ‘Silver
Beaver’ Award for
Distinguished Service
to Youth.
In the latter 1980’s, while continuing my career at the Police Dept., I took part-time (though
accelerated) Graduate studies at the University of
California at Davis, and earned an
MBA degree, with
emphases in Public
Administration, Accounting, Human
Resources, and Marketing, all the while maintaining
a very close relationship with my daughter.
 Into
the 1990s at the Police Department, I served several
years as President of the Police Officers’
Association, and, as shop steward, represented
my fellow Officers in working-conditions and
collective-bargaining contract negotiations.
In 2002, I retired
after 31 years service,
and have now been very active on the local political scene, including
membership on the Yolo County Republican Party Committee, serving as
Davis Republican Precincts Operations Manager, and Voting Member of the
California Republican Party. I was just recently recognized with the
County Party Chair’s Award for my organizational efforts and activism
in getting Precinct Operations in Davis functional and effective, and
for promoting voter registration, participation (GOTV), and education
(an informed voter is a smart voter).
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