Jimmy Liles is the new top cop in Nixa, though he is not new to the Nixa Police Department or to the role as chief. Liles, who was selected by Nixa City Council on March 5 to succeed Police Chief James Bacon, is a 14-year veteran with the department. Sworn in on March 17, Liles had served as interim chief upon Bacon’s retirement in November, and he believes being engaged in the Nixa business community is critical as chief.
The Corporal Ladder “I was originally hired as a patrolman. I worked my way up and was promoted to corporal, then sergeant and, over time, to lieutenant before becoming chief of police. I have had the opportunity in Nixa to work and supervise in all of the departments. I’ve spent time on the tactical team, as team commander (and) in investigations. I’ve supervised patrol, so I’ve got a little bit of experience in all areas of law enforcement. … It has always been a goal of mine to someday become chief of police.”
NPD “We have 27 sworn officers (between the) patrol division and an investigations division made up of three investigators and a supervisor. … We have financial crimes that we deal with often – things like bad checks and credit card fraud. Those seem to be on the rise, so we are dealing with more of those types of crimes. We see property crimes, like other cities deal with. We have stolen vehicles occasionally or vehicles getting broken into. … We see the same type of crimes all cities see, it’s just the frequency is a little different than say, Springfield.”
The Business Beat “One of my major objectives for the department is to enhance our relationship with the community. I think it is extremely important we understand our community’s needs, as well as the community having a good understanding of what we do. … It is vital, especially in this role as police chief, that we get out and meet people. That includes business leaders. We want to know what they expect from law enforcement. We want to make sure we foster good relationships with the businesses in our community. I think it is expected of the chief.”
Open-book Approach “I was fortunate to work with Chief Bacon, who really prepared me for this position well, and kept me up to speed with everything he was doing. The transition has been a good one. … We’ve started programs such as the Citizens Police Academy in recent years, and I plan to further those types of programs. It is 11 weeks of classes with residents, and we basically give them opportunities to see what we do and why we do the things we do. We put them in positions where they can do mock traffic stops and we do shoot no-shoot scenarios with them. It doesn’t certify them to do anything, and we aren’t asking them to be citizens on patrol. It is just informative.”
Rogersville Native “My first law enforcement job was as a reserve officer in Clever. I spent a short time there. I was living in Rogersville with that long commute, and then I got hired as a reserve officer in Rogersville. I spent a year or so there as a reserve before I got hired full time in Nixa. … I have always wanted to be a police officer, even as a young child. The answer everybody gives is ‘to help people,’ and it is really true. That’s why most police officers do what they do. They want to get out in the community and help people. It is a very rewarding job.”
This installment of Springfield Business Journal’s Architects & Engineers Project Report showcases 26 endeavors by area design and engineering professionals.
