TAMUK’s chief of police retires

Sandra Jefferson has retired after working with the TAMUK University Police Department for 31 years and serving as police chief the last 10 years. After 31 years with the Texas A&M University- Kingsville Police Department, Sandra Jefferson has decided to retire but will miss her staff and work.

Jefferson has served as the Chief of the University Police Department for 10 years. She has worked as a patrol officer, sergeant, and lieutenant.

She said she is still healthy and will be able to spend more time with her six children and grandchildren.

Jefferson, who has family all over the U.S., plans to visit her father, 84, in Norfolk, Va. She also plans to spend more time with her church activities at St. Paul AME and continue working in community endeavors.

During over three decades of employment at Texas A&I and Texas A&M-Kingsville, she worked with seven presidents.

“I have mixed feelings about retirement because now I will have time for myself and my family, but I will miss the job, the people and getting up to go to work after 31 years and meeting new people and dignitaries,” Jefferson said. Friday was her last day on the job.

Her introduction to law enforcement began when her husband the late James A. Jefferson II worked as a Kingsville police officer for seven years. Later, a military captain and his wife encouraged Jefferson to apply for a position as a police officer with the Kingsville Police Department.

When she was at the police station department applying for the job, a retired military man told her he was applying for the same position and she would not get the job.

“He told me I could not do it,” Jefferson said. “That sealed it; I got the job and he didn’t,” she said.

So, at the age of 24 she was the second female to be hired with the Kingsville Police Department.

She recalled the day she went to get a vehicle decal at the Texas A&I University campus police building because she was planning to enroll in classes.

Tony Gonzalez, the chief at that time, offered her a job on the spot and she accepted. Today the University Police De partment has a staff of 24 employees with 14 of them officers.

“I originally wanted to work three years,” she said.

She graduated at the top of her class when she received certification from the Police Academy at Del Mar College.

She holds a masters degree in Law Enforcement from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Education.

Jefferson moved to Kingsville when she was 13 years old and attended Memorial Junior High.

Jefferson’s father, a career military man, served in the Navy and was assigned to NAS Kingsville.

“I never forgot the Javelina Stadium and asked ‘What is a Javelina Stadium?’,” she recalled.

The family moved to Norfolk, Va., when she was 16 years old.

Jefferson returned to Kingsville and graduated from H.M. King High School May 29, 1966.

She eventually met Kingsville native James A. Jefferson II and married him. He served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War.

He later attended the local university and majored in petroleum and natural gas engineering. Besides working as a police officer, he worked at Exxon for many years. He was killed in a car wreck while traveling to a family funeral in Louisiana 21 years ago.

“Time and time, I thought about moving,” Jefferson said.

“But I like the friendly people here and have been here 40 years.” She has been recognized as a community leader for numerous years.

Three of her six children live in Kingsville. Jefferson also has 14 grandchildren. Five of her children attended Texas A&M-Kingsville. All of them attended H.M. King High School.

“We are a family tree of H.M. King High School and A&I and A&M Kingsville,” she said.

Her son, James Jefferson III, was well known as an exemplary high school and college football player. He played pro fessional football in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and later worked as a scout for the New Orleans saints.

He moved back to his hometown and currently works as a teacher and assistant coach for the Santa Gertrudis Independent School District.

“He started teaching and really likes working with the kids,” she said.

Throughout the years, Jefferson has received many honors and recognition in her job and the community. She received a plaque honoring her for top services rendered to the University in 1996. She was selected as the top officer for the statewide Texas Association of College and University Police Officers Administrators and later served as president from 2006-2007.

She was named as the Knights of Columbus “Officer of the Year” in the early 1990s.

She served as president of the African American Black Heritage Awareness Celebration for five years. She conducted the program and invited the Texas A&M System regents in College Station and military personnel to attend the event and some of them accepted her invitation.

“I appreciated the fact it was a major success because the entire Jones Auditorium was full,” she said. Jefferson was honored for outstanding services while serving on the Black Heritage Celebration Committee at TAMUK in 1996. She has been a grand marshal for the Christmas Parade of Lights.