Major Jones Gamble knew it would be difficult to give up the uniform, the structure, and the people who have been a part of his life throughout 40 years with the South Carolina Highway Patrol. He hopes he made a difference in the lives of the troopers and the motorists he interacted with. But he knows that in order to leave the Highway Patrol better than he found it — he has to take the difficult step of leaving.
“I feel incredibly blessed to have worn this uniform. And I don’t take it for granted — I never did,” Gamble said of his retirement on July 17. “This is all I ever wanted to be. I’ve truly lived the dream, every day.”
Known to many as “Jonesy,” Gamble’s law enforcement ambitions were much more than a childhood dream. A fourth-generation law enforcement officer, it was very much in his blood. His great-grandfather — and then his grandfather — held the position of Clarendon County sheriff for a combined 42 years, and his father was one of the original State Law Enforcement Division agents in 1947. His father also took on the difficult role of single parent after Gamble’s mother died two weeks before his high school graduation.
“I watched him, I went on calls with him,” Gamble said of his father. “He taught me how to be a cop, but before that, he taught me how to be a man.”
After working as a dispatcher during college, Gamble joined the Columbia Police Department as an officer at 21. But his passion for traffic enforcement, along with the sharp look and professional demeanor of state troopers, shifted his focus to the Highway Patrol. He joined the patrol in 1986 and was first assigned to Lexington County. In those days, troopers didn’t have walkie talkies, laptops, dashcams, radars, or Tasers, he said. They carried a six-shot Smith & Wesson revolver, a nightstick, handcuffs, and a ticket book.
As Gamble quickly made a name for himself within the patrol, he was among the first South Carolina troopers to receive several advancements over the years, including a Mustang patrol car in 1988 and a dashcam in the early 90s. It was around that time that Gamble was designated as the trooper to handle media requests and interviews for Troop 1, with each of the other troops also having a designated trooper. Gamble received a pager and a bag phone, which he chuckled “was a big deal at the time.” Gamble didn’t just answer questions and conduct interviews; he cultivated relationships with reporters and built rapport and understanding. This position would later become known as a Community Relations Officer, and Gamble helped lay the foundation for the centralized CRO Unit that was created in 2005.
A self-described “people person” and skilled networker, people have always been at the center of what Gamble does, from educating the public through media interviews to taking calls at headquarters from people upset about their ticket or traffic stop. Whenever he worked a fatal collision, he always chose to take up the heartbreaking duty of notifying the next of kin.
“It’s a feeling you can’t imagine,” he said of the somber task. “You’re pulling up to a house at two in the morning, and the first thing you notice is the porch light on — because someone they love is still out, and they’re expecting them home. You know you’re about to turn that house upside down.”
As he heads into retirement, Gamble will focus less on being a trooper and a major, and more on being a grandfather and “full time Uber driver” for his young grandson. Closing the book on a 40-year career in uniform, Gamble is most thankful for the support of his family, from his parents, to his wife and children.
“I wish my mama could have been here for this, and met my children and grandson. I wish my dad could have seen me make major. But it wasn’t meant to be,” Gamble said. “I’m very successful because of my family. My wife has been a godsend. I would not have been able to do this if she wasn’t keeping things running at home.”
Gamble takes with him countless connections and precious memories from the past four decades. From escorting a Dateline NBC film crew, to protecting the University of South Carolina football coach for six years, to graduating from the FBI National Academy and earning a top security clearance as a liaison between the Highway Patrol and FBI. He’s shaken the hands of presidents, vice presidents, and FBI directors, toured the White House, and was even recognized as South Carolina’s Trooper of the Year in 1995.
But his most treasured interactions come those with troopers he worked with, supervised, and mentored. After being promoted to major, he insisted on going to the hospital whenever a trooper was injured. It didn’t matter what time of day it was, what part of the state the incident happened in, or whether Gamble was on duty or on leave.
“I know their wives, their mothers, their grandmothers, and their sisters,” he said. “I have all of their numbers in my personal phone, and they have my number. You’ve got to let them know you care.”
And that’s where he hopes he made a difference.
“I wear the patrol on my sleeve. I live it and breathe it,” he said. “I hope these troopers know that people care about them. I didn’t write the policy manual. I didn’t do anything spectacular. But I think I’ve left this place better than I found it. I hope I did.”
