Rockdale’s new police chief won’t have to spend any time learning about Milam County.
Jerry “Jay” Meadors is a former police officer in Thorndale and Cameron.
He married a Thorndale woman and they’ve lived in the Thorndale area for a dozen years.
When Meadors worked for the Texas Attorney General, one of the people he hired was former longtime Rockdale PD member J. D. Newlin.
And when he left the Thorndale PD, he was succeeded by his father-in-law Darrell Gambrell.
‘NO BRAINER’—
Meadors was hired by the Rockdale City Council from a field of 33 to succeed Thomas Harris, who is retiring at the end of this month after a record 20 years at the helm of the department.
The council interviewed five persons for the position, three on Saturday, May 2, and two more last Friday.
Meadors was selected on Friday and formally signed on Monday.
He is currently a patrolman with the Hutto Police Department, a position he has held since 2018.
“When the Rockdale position came open, I knew this was where I wanted to be,” he told The Reporter. “We’ve been living a dozen miles away.”
“It was a no-brainer,” he said.
CENTRAL TEXAS—A lifelong resident of the area, Meadors is a native of Franklin in Robertson County. A graduate of the Tex
A graduate of the Texas A&M Regional Police Academy he began at the Thorndale PD from 1996-97, then moved on to the Cameron PD where he worked under the legendary Leonard Doskocil.
Meadors went on to the Walker County Sheriff’s Department in Huntsville, serving as deputy sheriff, then as a detective in the Criminal Investigations Division. He was the Walker County SO Detective of the Year in 2001.
In 2002 Meadors moved on to the Huntsville Police Department, becoming senior officer/detective in the Criminal Investigations Division.
In that position, he conducted criminal investigations including (but not limited to) homicide, sexual assault, assault offenses, child abuse and internet-facilitated crimes against children.
From 2008-18 he worked for the Attorney General of Texas, starting as a sergeant and moving up to the ranks of lieutenant, captain and major.
He served as commander of the Southern Texas ICAC Task Force, encompassing 154 counties composed of 32 law enforcement affiliate agencies.
For two years, as a major, Meadors managed daily operations of the division’s Child Exploitation Unit, Digital Forensics Unit, Human Trafficking Unit, Fugitive Apprehension unit and Agency Evidence Section.
Meadors and wife Carla have two teenage daughters, Morgan and Hailey.
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