Law Enforcement Week — Bailiff Caleb Jones enjoys helping

Caleb Jones does not hesitate when asked what led him to a career in law enforcement with Cape Girardeau County.

Jones, 27, is a deputy in the county sheriff's office and is stationed at the county's Justice Center in Jackson as a uniformed bailiff.

"My dad, Walter Jones, recently retired as a state probation parole officer, and as a kid, I remember seeing his badge sitting on top of our entertainment center at home. I used to play with it, and he'd get on me because I didn't realize the responsibility at that age," said Jones, now a married father with a 3-year-old daughter.

Jones' personal bona fides in law enforcement extend not only to his father but to his younger brother, Noah, a patrolman for Cape Girardeau Police Department.

"It's a cliche, but I just like helping people. That's what pleases me. Being able to put a smile on someone's face pleases me," said Caleb, a 2014 Cape Central High graduate and 2019 alumnus of Southeast Missouri State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

Caleb Jones, a Cape Girardeau County deputy sheriff, is a graduate of the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy and Southeast Missouri State University.Jeff Long

Caleb Jones, a Cape Girardeau County deputy sheriff, is a graduate of the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy and Southeast Missouri State University.Jeff Long

In his youth, Caleb watched closely as people interacted with his dad when off duty.

"Dad would be out and about, and people would come up to him and thank him. I grew up watching people whose cases my father personally handled appreciating him," he said. "I have the gift of gab, too, which I got from my mother, Dianna."

Jones cut his teeth originally at SEMO Law Enforcement Academy in Cape Girardeau.

He signed on after graduation as a patrolman with Jackson's police department, staying almost a year before joining Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson's office.

A bailiff's schedule became more appealing to Jones, especially having a young family.

"I'm 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every weekday here at the justice center, with weekends and holidays off. I remember starting at Jackson being advised eventually to find a day position because my biggest thing is family. I miss patrol with making traffic stops and handling domestic violence calls, but this job checks a lot of boxes for me," he advised.

The job

"A bailiff assigned to court security has the responsibility to be a keeper of the courts. My role is to patrol the perimeter and people inside it and not let any contraband get into the secure areas. At some point, I'd like to get outside and serve garnishments, subpoenas and evictions, which the more veteran guys do here," Caleb said.

The danger

"I've come to the realization in signing up to be in a law enforcement career that I'm in a potentially dangerous line of work. I'm a person of faith, and if the good Lord chooses to call me home, then it is what it is. My wife, Katy, is aware of this, of course, and yes, it is concerning to do a job where you understand something could happen where I couldn't be there for my family or for our daughter, Sophia," said Jones.

Caleb said he and his fellow bailiffs like to hand stickers to children if they come into the justice center.

"We want to show kids we're regular people and we care. I try to keep in mind that if people are coming to the courthouse, it's probably not for the most positive of reasons. Since going full-time with the court security bailiff division, I've been called every name in the book. I stay professional and remind myself the folks who come in here are having a bad day. Along with my fellow bailiffs and others who work here, we want to try to make that bad day a little better."