At about 7:00 every weekday morning while walking through the Gonzales Police Station one can hear the friendly police staff greeting one another with a Good Morning! But one greeting is different than everyone else’s and more respected. “Good Morning Chief” is reserved for Gonzales Police Chief Sherman Jackson.
Jackson says being called chief by his colleagues is one of his greatest honors. “Sometimes I still can’t believe when I see it on a piece of paper,” says Jackson. He says being chief is about having and earning respect because respect is never just given.
Long before Jackson was elected chief and won the admiration of the citizens of Gonzales, he was just like any other child with a goal and trying to find ways to accomplish their goals. Jackson is a native of Ascension Parish and a proud citizen of Gonzales, LA. Upon graduating from East Ascension High School, Jackson entered the United States Military and served five years in the Army. All the while, Jackson knew when he completed his time that he was going into law enforcement.
“Public safety is all I’ve ever wanted to do,” says Jackson. Jackson believes that his career chose him. He believes every good officer has a desire to help others and officers that lack this desire will not last. “You have to have it in your heart to want to help people and to keep people safe. I think it chooses you, and it’s a calling. If it is indeed a calling you’ll be very successful,” states Jackson.
He quickly picked up the proper techniques of becoming an efficient and an effective police officer. While serving 14 years, Jackson experienced both good times and bad times as an officer. Jackson chuckles as he recalls a “sloppy muddy” foot chase along with his fellow officers and remembers that being one of the only times they had fun while trying to catch a criminal. On the other hand, he also remembers a more serious moment where he had to make the decision to either take a life or have his life taken. Jackson says, “That can happen any day of the week and it’s just something we deal with as officers.”
With the experiences and situations he has dealt with, Jackson felt he was more than capable of taking on the position of chief. At one point in his career, Jackson said he knew he could be the next chief and enforce some of his new ideas. But Jackson believes that being chief is more than just having a title, “Knowing the trials and tribulations that you go through is one thing and having the education to become chief is another thing. It’s very challenging, but it’s something I love to do, and I don’t regret one minute of it.”
Jackson is very excited about the implementing his ideas and the commitment his staff has to brining the Gonzales Police Department to new heights. He has several goals for the department which seem to all revolve around proper communication with the public. “I think I’m bringing the communication gap closer between the citizens and the police department. A lot of people have a bad taste in their mouths because we do things that cost money such as citations. But the other part we’re doing is keeping the community safe, keeping drugs out, and keeping violence out. That’s why I open communication and remain approachable to situations in Gonzales.”
Not only does Jackson feel the need to stay connected with the adult citizens of Gonzales, but the youth is very near to his heart. He wants the youth to set goals from themselves and realize that they can do anything as long as they put their minds to accomplishing their goals. Jackson doesn’t want today’s youth to experience the pain he felt when he lost his best friend to violence. He wants the youth to feel comfortable to go to officers if they feel like something is wrong.
In order to make policemen more approachable, Jackson placed officers in all schools. They greet the kids in the morning and spend time with them during their lunch breaks. “I find that the kids are very receptive and know we’re there to be friends or if you do things to break the law you’re going to be arrested and there will be consequences,” says Jackson.
The Gonzales Police Department also has a mentoring program. Currently, there are two officers that mentor kids that for some reason are having problems. Jackson says, “We intervene in that and give them a mentor, so they’ll have a positive role model and give them something to do.” Besides from mentoring, the youth can also be involved in junior police. This is for kids 8-14 years old and allows them to build a relationship with the officers and helps to them to learn the role of the Gonzales Police Department. Lastly, there’s the explorer post for ages 15-21. This program is more serious and more involved. These young adults go to a camp and have hands on experience to get them prepared if they do decide to go into law enforcement. Jackson wants to make sure the youth knows that they must learn themselves and take responsibility for their actions because there are consequences for every bad decision.
On a more personal note, Jackson would like to thank the citizens of Gonzales for their continued support. He says that there’s nothing like the southern hospitality that everyone has here. “I’ve travelled all over the world and when it comes down to Louisiana and Gonzales people will speak to you and help you if they can. I think it’s a special thing for people in Louisiana.”
Jackson would also like to thank and acknowledge his loving and supportive wife Leslie York Jackson and their two sons Devin and Xander. He says in their free time they all love watching and going to football games. Besides from spending time with his family, Jackson also enjoys fishing, hunting and riding horses. He describes himself as a very balanced individual because he knows there’s more than one side to every story and that he must treat everyone equally and fairly.
