The Speaker

Jason E. Jones is an active Law Enforcement Professional with over twenty years of experience in the field. Jason's early law enforcement career began in New York City, where, as a Special Patrolman, he worked exclusively in the field of corporate security with a concentration on financial crimes, fraud investigations, and risk assessment & management. After a successful stint in this arena, several years later, Jason transitioned from the private to the public sector, where he became a Campus Police Officer for the City University of New York (CUNY) at the City College of New York (CCNY). As a Patrolman at CCNY, his assignments included directed sector patrols, specialized criminal investigations, dispatching, and intermittent assignments to various plainclothes investigative task forces, with collateral responsibilities included community outreach, mainly serving as a liaison between the Department and several students, faculty, and community groups and organizations. He also served as a Shop Steward for protected department members. After numerous years of dedicated service, Jason accepted his current position in the Nation's Capital with the United States Capitol Police Department (USCP).

As a United States Capitol Police Officer, Jason's responsibilities include actively protecting all Members of the United States Congress, the U.S. Capitol Complex (and its visitors), and all areas of Congressional interest Nationwide. And although his initial functions consisted of routine police patrols, preliminary investigations, and community outreach throughout the Congressional Community, his career trajectory has seen him with tours in several specialty assignments, including Background Investigations and the Joint Critical Incident Command Center, before achieving promotion to his current rank of Sergeant, working in the Agency's Communications Section.

In addition to a career where he has protected six U.S. House Speakers, five U.S. Presidents, His Holiness the Pope, past and existing Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, Israel, and Australia, the sitting Chancellor of Germany, and numerous Foreign Heads of State and dignitaries, Sergeant Jones has also had the solemn duty of participating in thirteen Lying in State ceremonies in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, including the only two Lying in Honor ceremonies ever for fellow Fallen USCP Officers lost in the Line of Duty. Ranking as one of Sergeant Jones' Professional highlights was his selection to serve on the Joint Congressional Committee of Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) 57th Presidential Task Force for the Presidential Inauguration of the 44th U.S. President, Mr. Barak H. Obama.

Academically, Sergeant Jason E. Jones possesses a degree in Criminal Justice from Kaplan University, where he achieved placement on both the Deans and President's list throughout his instruction. He maintains academic affiliations with the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Alpha Phi Sigma (Theta Epsilon Chapter) (Past President). Meanwhile, professionally, Sergeant Jones also holds numerous certifications, including Basic and Advanced Interrogations, HAZMAT First Responder, Civil Disturbance Response, as well as an Adjunct Instructor Certification from Georgetown University to teach the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) curriculum. Sergeant Jones's local affiliations include membership in the United States Capitol Police Change Agent Network and a full seat on the United States Capitol Police Diversity Council. His National affiliations consist of an Associate Membership with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), Washington Metro Chapter, and full membership with the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers.

The Workshop

Political Extremism and It’s Impact on the Police : Thursday, October 10, 2024 10:30A

On January 6, 2021, a large group of people violently breached the U.S. Capitol Building, unified in their intent to halt the legal certification of the presidential election results. They broke through barricades, assaulted police officers, smashed windows, openly threatened elected representatives, ransacked offices, and caused over a million dollars in damage, numerous injuries, and several deaths. An extraordinary attack on American democracy, related to deep themes and elements of US political culture, it was an event of historic proportions.

However, one of the wake-up calls of the siege on the U.S. Capitol was the revelation that the extremists included many off-duty law enforcement officers, possibly assisted by on-duty personnel. This scenario raises serious concerns and underscores the fact that some extremists – and their beliefs – have made their way into the ranks of law enforcement and the corrections sector nationwide, and are explicit about their desires to recruit both current and former law enforcement officers. This is now forcing police chiefs, sheriffs, and others nationwide to reassess and escalate their efforts to identify and root out what has long been denied as a problem within the police profession.

The relationship between far-right extremism and law enforcement in the United States has a long and complicated history. This discussion considers how far-right extremism’s antigovernment ideology, in particular, represents an external threat to law enforcement officers, and examines law enforcement’s implicit and explicit support for far-right extremism, which creates an internal threat against the legitimacy of the profession.

What measures must be taken to root out staff with ties to white supremacist and far-right groups? What are the procedures and policies that should be put in place to encourage officers to speak out when they observe or know about another’s involvement? Are the unions a forum for assisting or a source of hindrance to officer accountability? Who should be tasked to root out those who may not actually be a part of the extremist groups but secretly subscribe to their ideologies? And what role must current law enforcement officers play in efforts to curtail what now appears to be a troubling pattern. Finally, policy initiatives are discussed to reduce these threats.