Jeremy Grissom has known for years he wanted to help people. As our Macon Violence Prevention (MVP) Coordinator, he gets to combine his skills from working in various facets of law enforcement with his personal experiences to provide something unique for our community. This week, Jeremy led a presentation before the Commission and public where he and partner organizations discussed the ongoing progress of the MVP program, and that’s why he’s this week’s Staff Spotlight.  

Jeremy has been married for seven years, and has two children, ages 2 and 4. He grew up in Union City, outside of Atlanta, but has called many places in the Peach State “home” throughout his career. Jeremy graduated from Savannah State University where he studied Criminal Justice, then went to work with the Sheriff’s Office in Savannah. He worked in Macon previously with the Department of Community Supervision as a Sex Offender Officer, Field Training Officer, and Assistant Chief. Jeremy has always known he wanted to take a different path than those around him, while also helping his community as much as possible. 

“I grew up in a high drug trafficking area. A lot of my friends are now either dead or in prison, and I knew that was something I didn’t want for myself,” says Jeremy. “I come from a single parent home. My mom worked extremely hard to make sure that didn’t happen. I use that as my motivation to not only continue to do things which have never been seen in my family, but also to make sure my mother’s efforts were not in vain.” 

“Having worked on every side of law enforcement, in corrections, on the streets, and now on the social services side, I’ve seen how crime affects us all. It’s important for us all to work together because you never know when you could be a victim of crime. On the other side, you never know when it could be you or a family member who needs assistance when you’ve made a mistake. So it’s all connected, and I think that the more we get into how to help each other out of every situation, the better off we’ll be.” 

As the MVP Coordinator, Jeremy helps connect people directly with organizations that can help them, while also holding those organizations accountable to their missions. He says his main job is collaboration and connection and that he’s often “Mr. Everything.” He reports to the leadership team and is often a cheerleader to get more people involved.  

“I want people to know that it’s time to dig in. This is not going to be a walk in the park. We need all hands on deck,” adds Grissom “We’re not going stop until we resolve these problems, so we’re going to keep on fighting. Whoever wants to join us, we’ll welcome you with open arms.” 

Jeremy, we’re proud you’re part of #TeamMaconBibb!