By Marilyn Miller
There is one sure thing about the changes that have been made at the Village of Dixie Inn Police Department since August of 2024. They were made with the safety of every resident and police office in the municipality in mind.
“The first month I took over, I might have gotten a week’s worth of sleep,” recalls Chief of Police Jeff McNeill, who was short manpower, working out of a dysfunctional office, and was using dated equipment when he was approved by the Board of Aldermen to take over the chief’s position fulltime.
But all of that has changed since a year ago, and more change Is on the way.
“We’ve gotten all new tasers,” Chief McNeill said, adding that their old tasers were donated to the Heflin and Dubberly Police Departments. “We now have body cameras, so we don’t have to rely on a camera in the squad car (which they had one of…).”
More recently, new computers have been added, which required “going from a 20-amp main to a 100-amp main.”
With the implementation of the STEP Program, the department has generated enough money to pay for all of these improvements. “Last month we handed out 297 tickets on Hwy. 80 alone, which generated over $73,000,” the chief acknowledged. That was part of the purpose of implementing the STEP Program, to increase safety on the highways and to give officers an incentive to work.
Right now, the Village of Dixie Inn Police Department is fully staffed, with Assistant Chief Shane Huffstetler, and Officers Lance Stockman, Chase Walsworth, Michael Dickey and Justin Spillers.
“This place would not be running without these guys,” Chief McNeill said of his team. “I spent 16 years in the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office. I vetted my guys very well. They do a good job for me. And I appreciate Sheriff Jason Parker letting them work parttime for Dixie Inn.”
He is also thankful for the great relationships his team has with surrounding police departments, as well as the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office. “Just yesterday we worked a wreck at Mile Marker 44 on I-20 for the WPSO,” he said.
“We have been operating under a schedule of 24-hours, seven days a week. We used to be a 12-hour police department.”
The chief has spent a lot of time learning new things that make him a better leader. During the past three months, he has completed the New Chiefs Course, has qualified as a taser instructor and as a homicide investigator. He is an arson investigator, completed the basic SWAT course in Caddo Parish, took a seven-day course for fire investigations. Last year he completed a course in Intercultural Communications. Over the months, McNeill took the Policy & Procedures Manual put together by retired chief Edwards and “barely changed anything.”
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I’ve enjoyed my career,” Chief McNeill said.” He started out at age 22 working two jobs while going to college. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Phoenix.
The chief is married to Brandy McNeill, who is assistant director of Minden Physician Practices. They have three children, Addison, Faith and Bryson. They are members of the New Hope Baptist Church in Athens, where Chief McNeill works the sound equipment.
The department is in the process of revamping the evidence room, which has been enclosed in fencing and barbed wire. A lot of interior work remains to be done. “I want to do my best to secure what is in there (evidence) so I know I have a prosecutable case,” McNeill said.
The future also includes a “Safe Station” for trick-or-treaters on Halloween, revamping of several ordinances to better enable annexation of adjoining land, having a fully-staffed, 24-hour, seven-day operation; and coordination of “Main to Main Trade Days” for smoother registration, lot assignments and clean-up.
“I’m very community-oriented,” the chief said. “We need to show the community that we care. We are here to serve you – we are not your enemy.”
Dixie Inn Mayor Donna Hoffoss believes that Chief McNeill is doing an “exceptional job.”
“He has turned that department completely around. He’s equipped his staff with what they need to be safe. He really cares for the Village of Dixie Inn and the people in it. I can always count on him to do anything I need.”
Hoffoss and McNeill are presently in search of a grant that will help finance the total replacement of the police complex. “If I could leave this place one percent better, I’ve done my job,” the chief said
McNeill says that it has been a “great experience” being the police chief for Dixie Inn for the past 13 months, and that he is “here to stay.”
“This is a good place,” he commented.
