Longest Serving Police Officer From Kensington Laid To Rest

KENSINGTON, MD — Family members and police officers said a final farewell Thursday morning to the longest serving member of any agency in the state of Maryland.

Retired Lt. Thomas B. Jacocks, a lifelong Montgomery County resident who spent more than 61 years on the police force, was laid to rest at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Aspen Hill.

"For over 60 years, Lt. Thomas Jacocks served the residents of Montgomery County. He's left a legacy that cannot be duplicated," said Police Chief Thomas Manger.

Jacocks was born on Oct. 26, 1932 in Washington, D.C. At an early age, Jacocks knew he wanted to protect and serve his community. One evening at dinner, Jacocks, who was six at the time, told his family that he was going to be a police officer when he grew up.

Jacocks, who died at age 84, ended up serving on the police force until he retired on Nov. 30, 2016.

Before joining the force, Jacocks was a Korean War veteran. In the summer of 1952, about a year after he graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Jacocks enlisted in the Army and was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. When his military tour ended two years later, he applied to become a Montgomery County police officer.

The Army veteran was sworn in on July 1, 1955 and started out as a patrol officer in Bethesda. He then married his wife Peggy, and they moved to Kensington where they raised their five children: Elise, Patricia, Clare, Joseph, and Justin.

Montgomery County Police said Jacocks rose through the ranks and eventually became a lieutenant. Over the course of his career, Jacocks was a court liaison officer and worked for the Juvenile Aid Bureau, the Warrant and Fugitive Bureau, the 4th District (Wheaton-Glenmont station), the 2nd District (Bethesda station), and the 3rd District (Silver Spring station).

In addition to serving on the force for 60-plus years, police said Jacocks spent more than 30 years helping out with the Maryland Special Olympics. The father of five was a fundraising leader for the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run, a program that supports the Special Olympics, and attended every year since Maryland adopted the program in 1985.

Since becoming a police officer, Jacocks saw a lot of changes in the department and the community. On his first day, he was one of 180 officers serving approximately 200,000 residents, police said. At the end of his career, he was one of more than 1,200 officers serving a population of 1,000,000.

Even when Jacocks retired from the force, he volunteered at the Public Safety Headquarters until the year he died.

Image via Montgomery County Police