Truman Jones: The Man Who Built the Bridge Between Badge and Community
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN (TennesseeLedger.com) — Former Sheriff Truman Jones, a name that has become inseparable from honest service, steady leadership, and the kind of neighborly character that’s becoming rare in our time, passed away Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at Azalea Court Senior Living in Smyrna. Arrangements will be announced by Woodfin Funeral Chapel.
Truman Jones’ passing marks the closing of a chapter in Rutherford County history. Born and raised in the soil of this county, he gave nearly four decades to public service. In 1972, he pinned on a badge with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. He rose through the ranks to Chief Deputy under Sheriff Craig Snell, and in 1983, the people elected him sheriff. He would hold that office for the next 27 years. Folks that knew Truman knew he loved our community and local history.
Those 27 years mattered.
A Steady Hand Through Growth
When Truman Jones took the sheriff’s chair in 1983, Rutherford County was at a crossroads. Growth was coming. Change was coming. What the county needed was a leader who wouldn’t panic when the world got bigger, but would keep his principles the same size.
That was Truman Jones.
He modernized the Sheriff’s Office without losing its soul. He expanded patrol coverage as the population surged past 300,000.
He strengthened community policing when it would have been easier to just respond to calls and stay behind the desk. Neighbors remember him as accessible, fair, and genuinely community-minded. People knew they could talk to him. People knew he would listen.
The Vision That Saved Lives
But if you want to understand the real measure of Truman Jones’ leadership, look at what he built with Superintendent Elam Carlton in 1993.
That year, they launched one of Tennessee’s earliest School Resource Officer programs. Five officers. Barry Benham, Phil Brooks, Dan Goodwin, Bill Kennedy, and Bill West. They set a standard that would grow into a nationally recognized model. Today, every Rutherford County school has an SRO.
Think about that. Every school. Every single one.
That legacy traces directly back to one man’s vision for keeping kids safe. That’s not a career accomplishment. That’s a life’s work that continues after he’s gone.
The WGNS Microphone Became His Second Calling
When Truman Jones retired in 2010, a lot of people thought his story was finished. But Bart Walker at WGNS Radio saw something in him that refused to stay quiet.
“Come host a show,” Bart said.
The Truman Show debuted in January 2011. Every weekday from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m., Truman sat behind the microphone and conducted more than 2,700 interviews over 11 years. Local historians. Physicians. Musicians. Everyday residents who had stories worth telling. The show became a gathering place. It became warm. 
It became exactly what Rutherford County needed: a man who remembered us, who wanted to preserve our memory, who believed that regular people were worth listening to.
His final broadcast aired March 1, 2022, from AdamsPlace.
Those weren’t just 11 years of WGNS radio. Those were 11 years of legacy building. Of community memory being recorded and preserved. Of Truman Jones proving that service doesn’t end with a pension. It ends when you stop showing up.
What He Really Built
When Truman Jones retired from the badge, Murfreesboro and Smyrna honored him with proclamations and the Key to the City. But those pieces of paper don’t capture what he actually left behind.
He left behind safer schools.
He left behind young officers who learned leadership by watching his example.
He left behind a community that knew their sheriff actually cared.
He left behind 2,700 conversations preserved on tape, stories that might have otherwise been forgotten.
Friends and listeners described him as thoughtful, energetic, a mentor. They described someone who actually remembered your name. In a time when leadership has become distant and disconnected, Truman Jones stayed close to his people.
A Native Son’s Legacy
The Scripture tells us in Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches: and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” Truman Jones didn’t chase riches. He chased a good name. 
He chased the respect of his neighbors. He chased the kind of leadership that actually makes a community stronger.
Rutherford County has lost a native son. A man who could have taken his badge and his authority and used it to separate himself from regular people. Instead, he chose to serve. He chose accessibility. He chose to listen.
Condolences Pour In
Truman’s influence will continue to echo through this county for generations. Every school resource officer working today is part of his vision. Every person who listened to his radio show and felt seen and remembered carries his legacy forward.
“A great leader has passed, TRUMAN JONES, I was his Chief Deputy for 18 years, I could tell so many stories but, not the time… I have only one thing to say.
This is the man, second longest serving Sheriff in Tennessee, Sheriff who fought for the troops and build what the Sheriff’s Office is today and what it stands for…. The new jail should be named after him.” ~ Former Chief Deputy Virgil Gammon
“He carried a wonderfully dry sense of humor that kept me in stitches. He was also one of the most gifted, down‑home storytellers I ever met—able to paint ideas in full 3‑D and living color. And Truman was the kind of man you could always count on.” WGNS Station owner Bart Walker
“Sheriff Truman Jones dedicated his life to serving Rutherford County, and his impact will be felt for generations. On a personal level, Britt and I will always be grateful to him for giving Britt the opportunity to begin his law enforcement career over 30 years ago as a young deputy. That opportunity became a 30 year career of service, and Sheriff Jones will always be an important part of that story. He cared deeply about this community and the people he served, and we are thankful to have known him both as a public servant and as a friend. Britt and I extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and all those who loved him.” ~ Smyrna Mayor Mary Esther Reed and husband Britt Reed, retired Rutherford County Deputy Chief of Law Enforcement
“Truman was what I’ve always called those special Rutherford County people who have made this place in the center of Tennessee a “Homemade Product.” He belonged to the people and always has. It’s hard to be sheriff as long as he was and to do a daily radio program keeping listeners interest day in and day out like he did means only one thing, he was love and will be missed. Good job and well done.” ~ Pettus Reed, retired Rutherford County Commissioner
“Sheriff Jones was a unique man and leader. If he 
believed in you, he held you in high regard and supported you above and beyond. He was very instrumental in my career and a true blessing to me and my family. His support of the programs that we introduced in the detention center was very impactful to the offenders and staff. He will be truly missed, my prayers and condolences to his family.” Bernard Salandy, Deputy Chief Jail Administrator
“I met Truman through Dan Whittle. They were so kind to me as a guy from NC. I had the opportunity to be on his radio show a few times. He always met me with smile and was interested in what was going on in my life. He was the real deal.”
~ Pastor Ivan Sheffield
“Truman was a fine man and a dedicated public servant. His expansion of SROs was visionary and was illustrative of his conviction to support, protect and serve our citizens. He will be missed.”
~ Rutherford County Property Assessor Rob Mitchell
That’s how you know you’ve lived a life that mattered.
Truman Jones mattered. And Rutherford County will feel his absence.
To listen back to episodes of The Truman Show, visit WGNS.com
Rutherford County Historians Greg Tucker and Marty Luffman Episode
Smyrna Mayor Mary Ester Reed, Town Manager Brian Hercules & Coon Victory Episode: Listen to the show
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