The Peoria Police Department is welcoming its newest resident officer to the East Bluff neighborhood.
26-year-old Officer Jo Paul Jones will reside in a city-owned home at 220 West Republic, PPD Public Information Officer Amy Dotson said.
Jones has already been involved in the neighborhood by volunteering for outreach programs, like “Real Men Read” at Franklin Primary.
Before becoming an officer two years ago, Jones worked as a counselor at the Gateway Foundation in Springfield and served in the US Marine Corps.
Jones is the fourth officer to be placed in a home, since the department added the resident program. Records show burglaries and thefts in the West Bluff neighborhood have declined since the first resident officer took the beat in 2013.
A welcoming reception will be held at Jones’ house Wed. at 2 pm.