Harpersville Police Department

MEET THE CHIEF

In March of 2015, Jimmy Macon, a Tuscaloosa native and veteran with more than 20 years of service in the United State Army was tapped as the new chief of Harpersville Police Department. Macon has experience at all levels of law enforcement, and his career has taken him across the country.

“I’ve done (everything from) narcotics to K-9 to investigations to patrol to traffic,” Macon said of his nearly 20 year career. Macon began his law enforcement career in 1996, working with a sheriff’s department and a municipal police department in Florida. “After I retired (from the military), I moved to Florida and became a police officer there,” Macon said.

In 2013, his career took him to northern Minnesota to serve as chief of the Hawley Police Department. After 20 months in Minnesota, Macon received news that his mother had been diagnosed with dementia and he decided to return home to Alabama to care for her.

He was going to quit law enforcement altogether and just take care of her, however, the opportunity with the Harpersville Police Department allowed him to continue his career.

Chief Macon says he likes the small town atmosphere in Harpersville because he gets to know the people better and, more importantly, they get to know him. On a daily basis, Chief Macon can be seen in the community meeting and interacting with the citizens of Harpersville. “I’m an outdoor person…. I’m not one to be stuck in an office or anything,” Macon said. “I want to be a chief that everybody knows.” He and his family have moved to the Harpersville area so he can participate in every area of life in the town.

“I want to come here and make sure we’re a safe community - that’s my number one priority,” Macon said. “I want to make Harpersville the number one city in the state of Alabama - if not the country - for its safety.” With that priority in mind, Chief Macon leads from the front - meaning that he is willing and does do anything that is required of any of his officers.

Chief Macon’s number two goal is to professionalize the department. As such, he is a huge proponent of ongoing training of all the officers and has implemented a mandatory training policy. He has created a procedure manual which gives the officers the structure that they need to do their job efficiently. He has upgraded the uniforms that the officers wear to improve the look of the officers on patrol. He also has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to unprofessional conduct by any of his officers.
Harpersville Police Department's photo.