Chief of Police Thom Corley
Chief Thom Corley became the Chief of Police on January 3, 2022. He has been employed with the Jackson Police Department for over 32 years beginning his law enforcement career in 1990 as a Patrol Officer assigned to Patrol Division. He has served in various other roles within the Department, including positions as a Narcotics Investigator, Background Investigator, Internal Affairs Investigator, Hostage Negotiator, Use of Force Instructor and Legal Instructor. Promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the Patrol Division in 1997, Chief Corley served in this capacity before becoming a Patrol Shift Commander upon his promotion to Lieutenant in 2008.
It was during his time as a Patrol Division Supervisor that Chief Corley attended law school, graduating in 2008. Chief Corley was promoted to Captain in 2009 (assuming the role of Department Legal Advisor at that time) and then to the rank of Major in 2013.
Serving as General Counsel for the Police Chief and Command Staff, Chief Corley provided legal guidance and training for all Department employees with regard to their duties as law enforcement officers. In addition, Chief Corley participated in other legal matters such as City Ordinance development, litigation defense, vendor contract reviews, and liaison with the District Attorney and City Attorney. In September 2019, he was promoted to Assistant Chief of Police.
Chief Corley is a lifelong resident of Jackson, and graduated in 1986 from Jackson Central Merry High School. Chief Corley then served in the United States Marine Corps prior to becoming a Jackson Police Department officer. He later graduated from Bethel University attaining a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Management in 1999. After attending Nashville School of Law, Chief Corley received his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2008. He is a member of the Tennessee Bar, and a licensed and practicing attorney.
Chief Corley and his wife, Jamie, have two adult children; a son and a daughter. In addition to his duties at the Jackson Police Department, Chief Corley serves as Adjunct Faculty for Bethel University’s College of Professional Services teaching courses in Criminal Justice.
Chief Corley can be reached at 731-425-8466 or by email at tcorley@jacksontn.gov
Deputy Chief of Police Derick Tisdale
Deputy Chief Derick Tisdale, a native of Bolivar, TN, is the eldest son of the late Reverend Willie E. Tisdale and Janie Tisdale. Chief Tisdale joined the Jackson Police Department in 1994, as a patrol officer.
Chief Tisdale has served the City of Jackson as a Community Oriented Police Officer from 1997 until 1999. In 2001, he served the citizens of Jackson when he was selected to serve on the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (S. W. A. T.). He served on the S.W.A.T Unit until he was next appointed to serve as the first Public Information Officer for the Jackson Police Department.
During his time at the Jackson Police Department he has attended several schools for specialized training. His current certifications include: P.O.S.T Certified Firearms Instructor, Defense Technologies Less-Lethal, Glock Armorer, Baker Batshield Instructor and Basic Visual Mantracking. In May of 2002, Chief Tisdale was awarded the Life Saving Medal for his participation in the rescue of several people from a wrecked vehicle that landed in one of Jackson’s local lakes.
Chief Tisdale is a graduate of Lane College and is currently working on his Masters of Divinity at Memphis Theological Seminary. He is an ordained Elder who faithfully serves at Cane Creek Baptist Church under the leadership of Apostle Larry W. Robinson and Prophetess Teresa A. Robinson.
Chief Tisdale retired as a First Sergeant from the Tennessee Army National Guard after thirty years of service to the State of Tennessee and the United States of America.
Chief Tisdale has been married to his wife for more than 25 years; they have one son and one grandson.
Chief Tisdale can be reached by phone 731-425-8405 or by email at dtisdale@jacksontn.gov
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Deputy Chief Gary Benton started his career with the Jackson Police Department in October 1993. He was assigned as a patrol officer and served 3 years in the Patrol Division. He then transferred to the SWAT Team in 1996 and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2002 and Lieutenant in 2015, both while on the SWAT Team. Deputy Chief Benton has served in several roles within the Department including the SWAT Team, Bomb Unit, Driving Instructor, Less Lethal Instructor, Firearms Instructor, Internal Affairs and Background Investigator and Legal Instructor.
While on the SWAT Team, Deputy Chief Benton attended the Nashville School of Law graduating in 2014 and passing the bar the following year. In January 2022, he was promoted to Captain and assumed the role as the department Legal Advisor to the Chief of Police and the Command Staff. In December 2023, he was promoted to Deputy Chief
Deputy Chief Benton is originally from Paducah, Kentucky and was a Cum Laude Graduate of Murray State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. He moved to Jackson in 1993 to join the Jackson Police Department and has now made Jackson his hometown. He started attending the Nashville School of Law in 2010 and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2014. He is a member of the Tennessee Bar and is a licensed and practicing attorney. He is a graduate of the 8th Session of the South Eastern Leadership Academy from the University of Tennessee.
Deputy Chief Benton is a recipient of the Department’s Lifesaving Medal and the Purple Heart.
Deputy Chief Benton can be reached at (731) 425-8419 or by email at gbenton@jacksontn.gov.
Captain Jeff Shepard
Jeff Shepard was promoted to Captain on August 2nd, 2017, and currently serves in the Administrative Division. Shepard’s career with the Jackson Police Department began in February of 1992, when he was hired as a Patrol Officer. He worked to improve relations between the citizens and the Police Department through Community Oriented Policing for several years.
In May of 1994, Shepard was awarded the Police Medal of Valor for stopping a series of armed robberies. Several persons were convicted in those incidents.In 1998, he was reassigned to the Metro Narcotics Unit as an Investigator. Shepard handled numerous narcotics investigations and made a high number of arrests. In October 2000, he was reassigned to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) as an Investigator. He worked in Violent Crimes, Property Crimes, Auto Crimes and Financial Crimes investigations. In 2008, he attained the rank of Sergeant in CID.
In 2013, Shepard was promoted to Lieutenant over the General Investigations Bureau. That unit handles all criminal investigations involving residential burglaries, property crimes, automobile crimes and financial crimes.
Shepard completed college Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a Master of Business Administration (MBA), both from Bethel University. He graduated from South Side High School here in Jackson. He is a veteran of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. He lives in North Jackson.
Captain Shepard can be reached at 731-425-8552 or by email at jshepard@jacksontn.gov
Captain Robert Gambill
Captain Robert Gambill joined the Jackson Police Department in September of 1999 as an officer assigned to the Patrol Division and in 2007 became a Field Training Officer. During his time as a patrol officer, he attended Lambuth University graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus in accounting. In 2008 he successfully assessed for a position in the department’s Criminal Investigations Division as an investigator. In May of 2011, he was awarded the Life Saving Medal for his participation in the locating and rescue of a victim of kidnapping.
In 2013, he successfully assessed and attained the rank of Sergeant in the Patrol Division where he served as a street supervisor for the Patrol Division’s midnight shift. In October of 2015 he was assigned to the Administration Division and began service as the department’s financial officer and member of its Command Staff.
In July of 2016, he was promoted to Lieutenant within the Administration Division. The new position required an emphasis in budget forecasting and expense planning to meet the fiscal responsibilities of the department. The assignment also consisted of the reformation and expansion of the department’s Extra Duty Program. In May of 2019 he was promoted to Captain in the Administration Division.
Captain Gambill can be reached at 731-425-8213 or by email at rgambill@jacksontn.gov
Captain JT Gause
Captain Gause has been with the Jackson Police Department for over 25 years. Captain Gause was hired with the Jackson Police Department in October of 1994. He was assigned as a patrolman in the Patrol Division. In 1997, he was reassigned to the Community Crime Reduction Unit. This units primary job was patrolling and answering calls for service in all Public Housing. In 2008, he was promoted to Sergeant and assigned to the Street Crimes Unit. This units primary job was street saturation in the higher crime areas of Jackson. The unit concentrated its efforts on reducing street level drug sales and violent crime. In 2011, Captain Gause was assigned to the Gang Enforcement Team. In 2014, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and assigned to the Patrol Division, where he was a shift commander over the South Precinct. In 2020, he was Promoted to the rank of Captain and is now the Patrol Commander over the North Precinct.
Captain Gause has attended numerous specialized schools, including ones relating to Gangs, Community Oriented Policing, and Leadership.
Captain Gause is a United States Army Veteran, joining the Army in 1987. He served in an active duty status for 6 1/2 years, 1 1/2 years in the Army Reserves, and 2 years in the Army National Guard. He received and Honorable Discharge from all three.
Captain Gause can be reached by phone at 731-425-8448 or bu email at jtgause@jacksontn.gov
Captain Jackie Benton
Captain Benton started her career with the Jackson Police Department in April of 1993 and has over 27 years of service. Captain Benton served 2 years as a patrol officer and then joined the 26th Judicial Drug Task Force in 1995 to 1996 as an Investigator.
Captain Benton returned to the Patrol Division in 1996 through 1998 as a patrol officer.
In 1998 Captain Benton was assigned to Jackson-Madison County Metro Narcotics Unit as an Investigator, where she had the opportunity to be part of the Drug Endangered Children program funded by a grant awarded to the City of Jackson and assisted in local, State, and Federal drug investigations. Captain Benton was promoted to Sergeant in May of 2009 over the day shift operations of the unit and promoted to Lieutenant in January of 2015.
Captain Benton is the first Woman in the history of the Jackson Police Department to be promoted to the rank of Captain in March of 2020.
Captain Benton enrolled into the military delayed entry program while in High School. Upon graduation, Captain Benton served in the United States Army active duty for 4 years as a Military Police Officer working on patrol and undercover narcotics from 1987 and honorably discharged in 1991.
Captain Benton can be reached at 731-425-1878 or by email at jbenton@jacksontn.gov
Captain Justin Harris
Captain Harris started his career with the Jackson Police Department in February of 2001 and has nineteen years of service. Captain Harris worked seven years as a patrol officer and then joined the Street Crimes Unit in 2008.
In 2010, Captain Harris transferred to the Gang Enforcement Team as an Investigator. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2015 and took over command of the Street Crimes Unit.
Captain Harris was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 2017 and continued to serve as commander of the Street Crimes Unit. He also served in a collateral assignment as a reserve SWAT Team Officer for fourteen years.
Captain Harris served in the Tennessee Army National Guard for six years as a Military Policeman with the 268th MP Company from 2000 to 2006.
Captain Harris completed a Bachelor’s Degree in University Studies from U.T. Martin in 2006.
Captain Harris has been married to his wife for 14 years and has a 12 year old son.
Captain Danielle Jones is a native of Jackson, TN graduating from North Side High School. She attended Lane College graduating with her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice in 2001. She then began working for the Jackson Police Department in 2002 as a patrol officer. In 2006 she became an investigator with the Violent Crimes Unit of JPD, investigating everything from Robberies to Homicides. While working in Violent Crimes Capt. Jones found her niche in working with domestic and sexual assault victims as well as child abuse and child sex abuse cases.
In 2013, she went back to school and received her Master’s Degree from Bethel University. Also in 2013 she was promoted to Sergeant over the newly formed Special Investigations Bureau of the Jackson Police Department. In 2017 she was promoted to Lieutenant and is currently over the Safe Hope Center located on Roland Avenue. In 2020 Cpt. Jones began working with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations as a Task Force Agent for the Human Trafficking Unit.
In August of 2022, she was promoted to Captain over Investigative Services Division which encompasses the Safe Hope Center and General Investigations Bureau. She is now responsible for oversight of those units while writing and managing grants for the police department. She is also responsible for maintaining the budget for these units. Capt. Jones is a 2018 graduate of Southeastern Leadership Academy earning an Outstanding Achievement award and a 2019 Graduate of Leadership Jackson. Jones also was a Sterling Award recipient in 2018. She has been nominated and selected as JPD’s Employee of the Month in years 2004, 2010, 2017 and 2022.
Captain Christopher Chestnut is the Commander of the Major Crimes Division of the Jackson Police Department. The Major Crimes Division is comprised of eight distinct investigative units; the Violent Crimes Unit, the Crime Scene Unit (Evidence Investigations), the Organized Crime Unit, the Narcotics & Vice Unit, the Firearms & Gang Unit, the Street Crimes Unit, the Sex Offender Compliance Unit, and the NIBIN Unit.
The various investigative elements of the Major Crimes Division collaborate closely to investigate crimes in our city which are frequently related and often intertwined with other criminal actors. The division investigates murders, shootings, aggravated assaults, armed robberies, gang-related crimes, felony gun crimes, illegal narcotics, prostitution, illegal gambling, crimes against vulnerable adults, elder abuse, and sex offender registry compliance and enforcement.
For 30 years, Captain Chestnut has served the citizenry of Jackson and West Tennessee in various positions. Captain Chestnut began his law enforcement career at the Jackson Police Department in 1992 as a radio communications dispatcher. In 1996 Captain Chestnut transferred to the Patrol Division as a Uniformed Patrol Officer until 2008. During this time, he held collateral positions as a Field Training Officer and a Defensive Tactics Instructor. Captain Chestnut was an active member of the Jackson Police Department’s Bomb Unit, which covers seventeen counties in West Tennessee. In 2005, he completed his initial bomb tech training at the FBI’s Hazardous Devices School at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. He continued his bomb training until he completed his service with the Unit in 2014.
In 1997 and again in 1999, Captain Chestnut was recognized with Medals of Valor for his actions while a patrol officer. In 1997 he plunged into a frozen pond to recover a child who had fallen through the ice. And in 1999, following the devastating tornados which struck Jackson, Captain Chestnut climbed into a collapsed church building with an active natural gas leak to help save six parishioners trapped between church pews beneath the rubble.
In 2008 Captain Chestnut was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division as an Investigator in the Violent Crimes Unit. In 2010, Captain Chestnut was recognized with the Department’s Life Saving Medal for his actions during a kidnapping investigation. In the July heat, he saved a woman who had been left hogtied in a closet of an abandoned house. The victim would have perished without his tenacious drive and extraordinary interview and interrogation techniques. In 2013 he achieved the rank of Sergeant and took a leadership role in the Violent Crimes Unit, where he served as a supervisor and an active case agent for four additional years.
Captain Chestnut was recognized for his tenacity and leadership abilities in 2017 when he was promoted to Lieutenant over the General Investigations Unit. During this transitional time, he managed investigators in the Property Crimes Unit, which consists of Property Crimes, Auto Theft, Arson & Fire Investigations, Financial Crimes, Missing Persons, and Fugitive Extradition.
In 2018, Captain Chestnut transferred back to the Violent Crimes Unit as the Commander, where he actively encouraged the inter-unit investigative techniques, which have led to the success the Major Crimes Division continues to experience. Because of his unparalleled experience investigating violent criminal acts, leadership style, and ability to communicate effectively with people from all walks of life, Captain Chestnut was promoted to the rank of Captain and assigned as Commander of the Major Crime Division in 2022
Captain Shane Beaver began his career with the Jackson Police Department in June 1999. He was assigned as a patrol officer and served three years in the Patrol Division. In June of 2000, he began serving on the reserve SWAT team. He was later assigned to the full time SWAT team in 2002, where he served in several roles including sniper. In May of 2008, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and assigned to the Patrol Division while continuing to serve on the reserve SWAT team. After 5 years, Beaver was promoted to Lieutenant in the Patrol Division where he stayed in that role until 2016. At that time Captain Beaver transferred back to the SWAT team as the unit commander. Captain Beaver has served in several roles within the Department including SWAT Team, Firearms Instructor, and active shooter instructor.
In August 2022, he was promoted to the rank of Captain in the Special Operations Division, consisting of the Aviation Unit, the Bomb Unit, the Hostage/Crisis Negotiations Unit, and the SWAT Team. He also serves the roll of incident commander on high-risk situations to include barricaded suspects as well as hostage situations.
During his service with the Jackson Police Department, Captain Beaver has been recognized as Employee of the Month (2003), three time SWAT Officer of the Year (2004, 2006, 2007), Second Overall recipient of the Tennessee Tactical Officer Snipers Challenge (2006) , Life Saving Medal Recipient (2011) and Law Enforcement Officer of the Year (2013).
Captain Beaver is originally from Scaggsville, Maryland. He attended East Tennessee State University where he played baseball, met his wife and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. He moved to Jackson in 1999 to join the Jackson Police Department. Captain Beaver and his wife, Jessica have one daughter, Kayla.