“More than any place I’ve worked before, I am so impressed with the community’s fantastic support. The agency is truly loved by the community. I can tell you as a law enforcement officer, I’ve never had that type of reception before,” Jones said. “And that is a telling testament to the integrity of Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay and my colleagues.”
Currently a road patrol sergeant, Jones is being promoted to lieutenant at the MCSO substation and will take the place of Lt. Derek Paul, who is being promoted to captain in the Upper Keys. The official switch takes place in mid-November.
Jones is a born-and-raised Floridian with 32 years of law enforcement experience. He’s served on the mainland, most notably the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, as well as other agencies. His first position within the MCSO was as an undercover officer; then he joined the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force, where he participated in one of the most notable busts in the Keys.
In the 2014 Soca case, law enforcement dug up a family compound on Stock Island to uncover 10 kilos of cocaine, 2,100 xanax bars, 1,300 oxycodone pills and more than $250,000 in drug proceeds. It was one of the largest busts in Monroe County history.
Jones was also instrumental in dismantling a boat theft ring in 2013 that uncovered ties to a criminal enterprise stretching to Las Vegas.
Jones is quick to share credit in both cases with federal and Keys law enforcement partners.
“My success is tied to our partners as well as my MCSO colleagues. That’s the truth. It takes everybody to fight crime,” Jones said.
The biggest challenge facing Marathon, Jones said, is educating visitors to care for our island as well as locals care for the environment. He’ll carry this out, he said, by practicing the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. That sincerity, he said, can’t be faked.
“I think Marathon is one of the safest places on the planet. That’s because of good law enforcement, but also because the community as a whole partners with us.”
By Jim McCarthy
Monroe County Sheriff’s lieutenant in the Middle Keys Derek Paul is no stranger to the Upper Keys. A Marathon native, he spent some time serving the communities of Key Largo and Islamorada before returning to Marathon to serve as the No. 2 in charge.
Come November, Paul will be back in the Upper Keys serving as the No. 1 in charge of District 6.
With the upcoming retirement of current Capt. Corey Bryan, Paul was promoted by Sheriff Rick Ramsay as the next captain of the district that covers Islamorada. A 23-year member of the sheriff’s office, he started in the corrections division at the jail in Key West before shifting over to road patrol. Serving in Key Largo, he was promoted to sergeant and then to lieutenant in Plantation Key, where he was stationed for a year.
“It was a childhood dream, and I never got out of it,” Paul said of what drew him to law enforcement.
Before serving with MCSO, Paul ventured out of the Keys to work in Leon County in 1999. Born and raised in Marathon, he wasn’t gone for too long before returning to the place he knew and loved.
“I had the itch to leave the Keys,” he said. “But I learned that I missed the water and missed home, so it was a very short stint, but definitely eye-opening and definitely needed. I definitely learned this is where I want to be.”
When he comes back to Islamorada on Nov. 16, Paul will be working alongside Bryan through the end of the year. Come January 2021, he’ll be the new captain in town.
“I hate to say this in front of him, but Paul is the heart and soul of our office and he will be missed,” said his former commander, Capt. Don Hillard, smiling.
“It’s still a little overwhelming,” Paul said. “It still hasn’t quite set in yet with the captain level. I’m just very happy that the sheriff and Maria (Bassett), the interim city manager, have given me the opportunity.”
Having worked in Islamorada before, Bryan said, Paul knows the people and community.
“He’s going to do very, very well,” Bryan said. “He should fit right in here.”
Paul said Islamorada is a great place to work and live with its close-knit community.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I am really looking forward to working with the city of Islamorada, staff and the sheriff’s office staff.”
