To say it is difficult to write about Jim McNeff’s retirement from the publishing industry is an understatement. May 31, 2024 may have been the last time Jim worked full time for Law Officer but his unwavering loyalty to the law enforcement profession and truth telling will no doubt continue to impact the lives of many…whether they know it or not.
Before speaking about Jim and the impact he made on your lives, let me first discuss the impact he made on my life. Prior to Jim joining us here at Law Officer, I knew of him. Spending 31 years in law enforcement in Southern California, retiring as a commander, he had authored three books, “The Spirit Behind Badge 145,” “Justice Revealed,” and “Jurisdiction.” Each of them molded the profession I love with the God I follow and when I received a message from Jim early in 2019, I was excited.
Jim’s initial email would be indicative of what I would experience up to this day. In humility, he introduced himself and asked if Law Officer had any writing opportunities. He had been working full time at another publication, making a good salary, but felt he needed to leave and he wanted to continue writing.
The timing couldn’t have been better for Law Officer….not necessarily for Jim. Law Officer was a legacy law enforcement publication that began in 2004 as Law Officer Magazine. It didn’t take a genius to understand that magazines weren’t exactly a “get-rich” scheme at the time and the magazine was no more. There was also not much of an interest to keep the brand going and because I realized the value in the online content for the profession and I was stubborn, I was doing all I could to keep it going.
When Jim inquired, there was less than $0 revenue and I was spending hours before my shift keeping the content fresh and relevant for law enforcement. But I didn’t mistake stubbornness for reality. I knew it wouldn’t last long and eventually the brand that I loved would eventually grow stale and diminish.
I told Jim that he was needed but the company couldn’t pay anything. While I told Jim that he would get paid if revenue eventually kicked in, I never expected what I heard next. Jim said he was on board and he would work full time as the Managing Editor…with no pay.
For a year, Jim McNeff worked a full time job for this publication and didn’t get paid a penny. Personally, I had never met a man like this but it was the beginning of a friendship that morphed into the spiritual leader that I need to this day.
When I speak about integrity, ethics, principles and humility across the country, I almost feel guilty. It should be Jim speaking because he lives it daily. In fact, I had to almost force Jim to link up his own books in his articles and you would be pressed to see any of “Jim” in any of his writings.
For the last eight years, that included five here at Law Officer, Jim has been working seven days a week producing content for the law enforcement profession and there couldn’t have been a more important time period in the profession and within society to have Jim doing it. In more instances than I could relay here, the only truth written about this profession came from Jim McNeff.
When the world was burning based on lies and a corrupt media, it was Jim writing the truth.
Law Officer has become one of the trusted sources in the industry for one reason…Jim McNeff. Before social media turned into insanity and actually sent content to followers, Jim could have made thousands by sensationalism and click bait.
Almost everyone did it.
But not Jim McNeff. There isn’t a price that can be placed on integrity and Jim never wavered.
Chip DeBlock is the host of the nationally syndicated radio show, the LEO Round Table discussing news related to law enforcement. “Law Officer emerged years ago as a source I could trust every time,” he tells me.
While I could continue on the incredible contribution that Jim has given to the law enforcement profession, the impact he had on me with family was immeasurable. There was never a conversation where he didn’t discuss his family and the pride he had in his children.
Yes, Jim McNeff has the thin blue line running in his veins but every conceivable stereotype was destroyed when I met Jim.
You could be a cop and a committed follower of Jesus Christ.
You could love policing as long as you loved your family more.
You could sacrifice for the job as long as the commitment to your family and friends remained stronger.
Jim moved from California to Texas for his adult children and he moved again for them and he would do it again and again. In the dark days of my life, it was Jim calling me and encouraging me. When I was discouraged that Jim was spending a day writing content for a $20 bill, it was Jim that comforted that guilt.
The more I think about it, the last five years has always been Jim and frankly, I could never thank him enough and I doubt I’ll ever meet his equal.
“Thank you Jim” doesn’t seem to be enough but it’s all I can do today.
If you have enjoyed Law Officer in the last five years, you have Jim to thank. He made this publication look like we had a team of fact checkers and writers but it was always just Jim McNeff.
Thank you Jim.
May God bless you and your family as you enjoy the life you so richly deserve.
Dr. Travis Yates retired as a commander with a large municipal police department after 30 years of service. He is the author of “The Courageous Police Leader: A Survival Guide for Combating Cowards, Chaos & Lies.” His risk management and leadership seminars have been taught to thousands of professionals across the world. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy with a Doctorate Degree in Strategic Leadership and the CEO of the Courageous Police Leadership Alliance.
