James T. Jones Photographs

A collection of photographs taken by Officer Tom Jones during his career with the Falls Church Police Deprtment between 1962 and 1982.

In Progress: Two boxes of 2x2 slides still need to be reviewed and digitized. Staff are also working to provide where possible more specific dates for many of the photographs.

About Tom Jones: Born in 1937 and raised in southwest Washington DC., Tom Jones was the youngest child of a large, boisterous Catholic family whose roots in the area reach back generations.  He first attended St. Dominic’s School in SW DC then Falls Church High School when he moved with his mother to Falls Church in the early 1950s. He joined his brothers as a volunteer fireman with the Fairfax County Fire Department at Station 18 (Jefferson) where in 1955 he met Mary Thornton, the step-daughter of another volunteer. They married in 1957 and had two children, both of whom also attended Falls Church High School. Tom joined the Falls Church Police Department in 1962 and served on various units until his retirement as a sergeant in 1982. During his service, Tom was proud of the relationships that he built with the various communities in Falls Church but particularly with the African-American residents during the late 60s and early 70s and that never in his long career did he need to draw his service weapon. Tom was perhaps best known to younger residents as Officer Friendly, the program that helped introduce the role of the police to children in an accessible and non-threatening way. He also served as the FCPD police photographer, training at both the FBI Academy and Northwestern University, and was a frequent presence at Dominion Camera discussing the latest and greatest camera equipment. Tom and Mary retired to Stafford County and lived there until he died of complications related to cancer in 2017, just months short of his 60th wedding anniversary. (bio provided by Jones family)