New Police Chief in Cleveland, NC - Jon Jessup

Police Chief Jon Jessup

Jon Jessup accepted the job of Police Chief for Cleveland, NC Monday night 7-13-2020 at the end of the monthly Town Board meeting. Commissioners went into closed session to iron out details of the offer and then invited Jessup back. Jessup confirmed that he would take the position at the end of the meeting.

"We're glad to have him," said Commissioner Travis Summitt who stayed after the meeting to welcome the new Chief. Summit is responsible for police and maintenance in Cleveland.

Jessup is not new to Cleveland. He has worked part-time as an officer in Cleveland for six years. He was also working full-time as an officer in Landis, NC. Both towns had openings for the Chief position at the same time. Brad Weaver had recently resigned at Cleveland, and Jessup had served as the interim Chief for the last three weeks. Landis had seen several changes in leadership due to a political scandal concerning town funds. Jessup was under consideration for the top spot in both towns, but Cleveland made the first offer.

"Cleveland is a great town," said Jessup. "I wanted to come work here."

Jessup, who grew up in Rowan and Mecklenburg counties, said that he had been interested in working as a police officer since he was about twenty years old. When he was laid off at his job, he decided that it was time to follow his passion. He then began working in Landis at the police department.

"It was an opportunity," he said.

Jessup sees working in law enforcement as a chance to help the community, keep in touch with residents, and to keep the quality of life high. He also notes that work in law enforcement is stable and steady which is certainly a consideration during these days of high unemployment.

Jessup says there have not been a whole lot of differences in law enforcement locally during the coronavirus. He did note that more calls were handled over the phone when possible. He also said that all officers keep masks and hand sanitizer in the cars.

With a full-time and part-time job in law enforcement, Jessup has stayed quite busy, but he said that he does have time for a little fun. He has been remodeling his basement recently. He also enjoys visiting with his brother and his wife.

Jessup also works puzzles, watches movies, and goes shopping at Concord Mills Mall with his two daughters, Camryn and Alyssa who live with him. He also has a adult son, Zachary, who is on his own now.

When he can work it in, Jessup likes to vacation (although that does not happen too often). He said that he likes both the mountains and the beach here in North Carolina, but he likes the mountains the best. He's not a big fan of sand (which can be pretty messy), but his recent trip to Emerald Isle, NC was good and the views great.

Since Jessup has been on the police force in Cleveland for several years, the transition should be smooth. He did say that officers had been a little more visible in the last couple of weeks. Thirty traffic stops were made last month with eight citations written. Jessup said that it was important for citizens to "see blue lights." He said that people feel safer when they know officers are around. With this in mind, he also plans to have three of the fleet vehicles "marked." The vehicles are currently unmarked, and they will soon be clearly marked as police vehicles.

Another plan Jessup is thinking about is having a National Night Out in Cleveland. This is an initiative where police and fire departments host an evening on the first Tuesday of August to meet with the community and have a social gathering. Jessup said that this lets everyone meet and get to know each other. Due to coronavirus and social distancing for 2020, that won't be an option this years, but he hopes to see that for 2021. In the meantime, Jessup said that he looks forward to getting to know more people in town. In his line of work, he said he's most likely to meet people breaking the law, but he hopes to get to know everyone in the upcoming months.