The APCO Young Professionals Task Force is comprised of public safety practitioners, under the age of thirty-five and from all over the country who work together to enhance opportunities for young professional participation by helping build relationships and create awareness. Members are encouraged by the committee to be active in their community and act as leaders in the public safety industry.

Task Force Chairman Jonathan Jones

Leading the charge is task force Chairman Jonathan Jones, the 9-1-1 Operations Coordinator for Athens-Clarke County Police Department in Athens, Georgia. Jonathan has been in public safety since 2006, having started as a Communications Officer in the department he now supervises. He worked his way through the ranks as a Communications Officer, Communications Training Officer, Senior Communications Officer and Communications Supervisor before ending up in his current role. Public safety is where Jonathan knew he wanted to work, but he didn’t know in what capacity until he found his passion in communications.

Outside of work, Jonathan is a family man. He and his wife, Lisa, have a 6-month-old daughter, Abigail. According to Jonathan, you must make time for family. Do not overwork yourself and be sure to set aside a day or night to do something fun with your family. Personal family time is not only good for your mental wellbeing, it helps your family cope with your work schedule. Jonathan sometimes spends long hours away from home, but his family is proud of the work he does, knowing his purpose is to serve his community and help others.

Jonathan enjoys the satisfaction that comes from helping others, not only the citizens who call for help, but the staff he works with as well. When asked what he finds most enjoyable about his job, he said he likes being able to help grow and develop the professionals in his communications center.

“Anything I can do to help our communications officers is rewarding to me.”

Jonathan believes that people are not looking at the communications profession as a career, but that if they were able to establish long-term goals within the profession, they would be able to open themselves up to more opportunities in public safety.  Likewise, the industry is currently suffering from poor retention. As Jonathan explained, some people leave because they realize they cannot or do not want to this job anymore, or after experiencing a traumatic call or incident. However, some leave due to poor working conditions, long shifts that are not conducive to leading a personal life or other reasons. To help attract and improve retention among young professionals, Jonathan believes agencies should have a career ladder for advancement opportunities, offer incentives like tuition reimbursement, and have recognition programs in place. One of the issues his Young Professionals Task Force is trying to address is the lack of recognition. Hopefully, through recognition, young professionals may be motivated to continue doing what they are doing.

Jonathan inside the Athens-Clark County Police Department Pubic Safety Mobile Command Center with Comm. Officer First Class Kristy Thrasher and Comm. Officer First Class Athena Jolly.

Because Jonathan believes so much in supporting young professionals, he is always looking for ways to help them look at what they do, not just as a job, but, as a career. The adage “You’ll never work a day in your life, if you love your job,” is how he feels about work and wants others to feel as well. Jonathan said he does not expect everyone to love their career as much as he does but hopes young professionals will have more dedication to the industry. By exposing them to additional opportunities and programs—such as tactical dispatch, community outreach and public education—he hopes they will become more involved and get “plugged in”. Jonathan said he tries his best to be a role model and demonstrate that “You can take advantage of opportunities and this can be a rewarding career.”

If Jonathan could have his voice heard throughout the industry, he would want everyone to hear him say, “Get involved! Find a mentor and learn from them, set your goals and discuss them often, and finally, network, network, network!”

Do you know a young professional we should spotlight? Contact Jessica Yelvington at yelvingtonj@apcointl.org.