Derrick Jackson

Background

About Derrick Jackson

I’m often described as the police officer with a background in social work who now helps run a police agency. As the Director of Community Engagement at the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, I’ve spent the last 15 years designing and implementing systems that integrate social work and criminal justice in order to transform traditional policing. As an MSW social worker and Certified Law Enforcement Officer I have a unique perspective and role in building bridges between police and the communities they serve. I’ve spent my time within the Sheriff’s Office learning, understanding, deconstructing, redesigning, and implementing systems within the Washtenaw County community that have helped reimagine the role of police within the community and the role of social workers within law enforcement. I started my career as a social worker helping teens struggling with homelessness and I loved that job, loved those kids. Everyday I was helping a kid find a safe place or helping their family, but the next day there was always another knock at the door. Something was wrong with the system and I wanted to be part of real change within my community. So I went on to work in county government as the Chief Deputy Clerk. I was like a sponge learning how government functions and eventually transitioned to the work I’m doing now with the Sheriff’s Office. Each step of the way working to improve systems for the betterment of community.