Retiring police chief Marcus Jones appointed as MCPS security chief

School board voted unanimously on decision Tuesday

June 25, 2024 8:56 p.m.

Just hours after the Montgomery County Council commemorated his retirement with a proclamation, county police Chief Marcus Jones was appointed Tuesday as chief of the Department of Security and Compliance for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

The school board voted unanimously to appoint Jones, who is set to retire July 1 from the county police force, at the start of its meeting at MCPS headquarters in Rockville.following a closed session.

“Mr. Jones brings to Montgomery County Public Schools more than 39 years of law enforcement experience, both in the field and in administration,” MCPS Acting Chief of Satff Henry Johnson said before the board voted. “He looks forward to joining MCPS to assist in maintaining a safe and secure environment for students, staff and our community. He is honored to accept this position and to work in a collaborative environment with the new superintendent and other significant role players for transparency, safety and accountability. “

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The board voted on Jones’ appointment about two hours after he received accolades from the council and other county leaders during the council meeting, including an official county proclamation commending his service.

Jones, 59, announced his retirement in January after serving in the police department for 38 years. He spoke to MoCo360 about his tenure in an interview in February.

“There has been a lot of talk in the community about reimagining policing, and there were a lot of discussions about police and community relationships,” Jones said when asked about his greatest accomplishments. “And one of the things I wanted to focus on was to make sure that we regained the public trust. …I also felt like we worked hard at increasing our transparency.”

Jones joins the school system as it deals with growing concerns in the MCPS community about safety and security in the district’s more than 200 schools. The school year that ended June 13 was also marked by lockdowns related to threats and also of incidents of weapons discovered in schools.

In an April community letter, Interim MCPS Superintendent Monique Felder addressed the issue and spoke of plans for new security and safety tools such as vape and weapons detection systems and mandatory student and staff IDs.

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Felder reaffirmed the district’s commitment to safety and discipline in schools and aimed to address mounting worries regarding student behavior that have been “in the forefront of community discussions, among student and staff and, lately in the news.”

“Comprehensive methods … can foster higher levels of safety and minimize incidents that violate the Student Code of Conduct,” Felder wrote.

Once Jones leaves the police department, veteran officer Marc Yamada will take over as the county’s new police chief after the council unanimously voted to confirm his appointment last week. Yamada is currently an assistant police chief.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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