Pictured Above: Capt. John McNeil (left), Major Lafayette Woods, Jr. (right), presenting

McNeil with his .40 caliber Model 22 Glock service pistol in a custom wood case 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT

Major Lafayette Woods, Jr.

Operation Commander/Public Information Officer

870.541.5351-OFFICE/870.329.5652-CELL

Email: lafayette.woods@jeffcoso.org

LONG-TIME SHERIFF’S CAPTAIN RETIRES AFTER MORE THAN 35-YEARS OF CREDITED PUBLIC SERVICE: Jefferson County, Arkansas - June 29, 2017-Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Captain and Tri-County Drug Task Force Commander John McNeil took his first job in law enforcement at age 22 as a corrections officer at the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC) in 1993. His first week on the job, Capt. McNeil saw firsthand just how rowdy inmates could get.

“My plans after high school were initially to gain a factory job like my late father, who at the time was employed at International Paper. Working at International Paper was just something everyone seemed to do after high school. It seemed to provide enough for my family but my father wanted more for me. He didn’t agree with me having to work shift work and long hours in a factory like setting, said McNeil.”

McNeil stated that he then made the decision to seek a career in law enforcement by joining the Pine Bluff Police Department as an auxiliary officer until 1994, when he accepted a full-time position with the Star City Police Department as an officer. After only a brief time at the Star City Police Department, McNeil joined the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in 1995 through 1999; serving first as a deputy jailor/radio operator. In 1997 while working for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, McNeil was reassigned to the Central Arkansas Multi-Agency Enforcement Organization C.A.M.E.O., operated then by the Arkansas State Police.

McNeil joined the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on February 1, 1999. He was originally assigned to the agencies Criminal Investigation Division as a criminal investigator before being promoted to sergeant on January 1, 2002, lieutenant on October 1, 2002, and finally captain on August 9, 2004. For the better part of the last decade, McNeil has spent his law enforcement career assigned to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division and commander over the Tri-County Drug Task Force.

Although McNeil’s official retirement date from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office isn’t until Friday, June 20, 2017, the sheriff’s office gathered today for a brief luncheon at the John Fallis Riverfront Building. McNeil seemed surprised to walk into a room filled with law enforcement officers from across the state who showed up to wish him farewell and congratulate him on a well-earned retirement. The luncheon included remarks and presentations from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office upper command staff; Sheriff Gerald Robinson, Chief Deputy Stanley James, Chief Deputy Greg Bolin, and Major Lafayette Woods, Jr. McNeil was also presented with a retirement gift from Lieutenant Yohance Brunson, who spearheaded the retirement celebration.

“McNeil was a loyal and faithful public servant, who always responded to any call given to him,” Sheriff Robinson said. “He was a leader within our ranks and his vacancy will be most difficult to fill.”

McNeil says that now that retirement is within his grasp, he looks forward to focusing more on his personal business, Outfitters RX located in Monticello, AR. McNeil also added that he planned to do a little more fishing, hunting and traveling with his grandchildren and wife, Jennifer McNeil.

Because of his prior military service in the U.S. Army combined with his employment with the Arkansas Department of Corrections and other law enforcement agencies, McNeil was credited 35 years 11 months of public service through the Arkansas Pubic Employees Retirement System (APERS).