In Glynn County, the number two person in Sheriff Emmett “Neal” Jump’s department is called the undersheriff. Since May, that official has been his son, Robbie, despite his career history that veteran state law enforcement officials say is atypical for the senior job.
The promotion, which comes with a base salary of approximately $120,000, means that Jump’s 45-year-old son makes more than what some comparable counties are willing to offer the most highly-credentialed candidates, according to a state survey of county pay ranges.
This leadership change gives Glynn County the distinction of being the only county in the state in recent history with two immediate family members in the top supervisory positions in a sheriff’s office, according to James Norris, the executive director of the Georgia Sheriff’s Association.
“It isn’t inappropriate, but I can not remember an example” in state history with such a situation, Norris said.
The situation with the Jumps illustrates the wide autonomy that sheriffs have in Georgia. As constitutional officers, they are responsible for protecting county courts, running the jail, and in many places taking responsibility for all law enforcement matters in a county. They have autonomy from county commissioners and from state oversight regarding personnel matters and salary disbursements.
Sheriff Jump is sworn in for his fourth term on Dec. 13, 2024, as his son, Robbie Jump, and daughter, Rebecca Walden, take a picture. Courtesy of the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office.
Robbie’s promotion comes after his sister, Rebecca Walden, was appointed clerk of court for Glynn County Superior Court, the official responsible for court records. She took over the position after the elected clerk, Ron Adams, retired in September 2023.
According to Norris, the Georgia charter is strict in the responsibilities and powers of the sheriff, none of which stipulate that the sheriff must follow certain rules regarding hiring family members.
The sheriff’s office did not respond to questions sent by The Current GA. The sheriff provided a partial personnel file for Robbie Jump in response to an open records request. The 198 pages included information about promotions and some salary data. There were no records of reprimands or sanctions. The file did not include wage data from 2020-2023. The sheriff’s office told the county public records officer that other parts of the personnel file were not subject to the state open records law.
Family ties at top
Sheriffs in Georgia are elected, and their constitutional duties include running the jail, serving papers, and performing law enforcement duties. The undersheriff, meanwhile, traditionally helps plan, manage, and coordinate the daily operations. The person also assumes the sheriff’s responsibilities when the sheriff is absent, making the job a powerful one, especially in many of Georgia’s smaller counties where the sheriff’s department is the only law enforcement agency.
James “Terry” Norris, Executive Director of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association. Courtesy of the Georgia Sheriff Association.
Given the realities of small counties, family members are known to work together in the same sheriff’s office, according to Norris. There is no state procedure to restrict such hires, and the only limitations would come if a sheriff’s department itself adopted a policy against nepotism.
The elder Jump, who was first elected in 2013, came to office with a lengthy background in law enforcement and placed professionals in the position of running the department.
Ron Corbett served as undersheriff in Glynn for 18 years after working for the Florida Department of Corrections and the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. He has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University.
Corbett said during his tenure, the undersheriff role had extensive responsibilities, including department budgets and supervising court operations. He also ran the county detention center. Corbett signed Robbie’s performance evaluations for multiple years and described the younger Jump as a competent supervisor. However, Corbett said he didn’t know what experience Robbie had with managing a budget. He added that he didn’t know the current responsibilities for the undersheriff position.
“I don’t want to get involved in creating something political, I’m not trying to hurt anybody one way or the other, and again I have a respect for Robbie,” Corbett said. He added that he didn’t see the promotion as controversial.
How does the salary compare?
Although there are no statewide salary ranges for how much a chief deputy sheriff is paid, Jump’s base salary is significantly higher than Corbett’s when he retired, according to state data.
In 2021, Glynn County reported to a state wage survey that its maximum base pay for the undersheriff position was $94,881. Jump, who had the rank of major and earned $114,836 before his promotion, entered his role at a starting salary of $120,695, according to records provided to The Current GA.
The Glynn County Sheriff’s Office instituted a new pay plan this year, and it’s unclear if Jump will qualify for bonuses or overtime in his new role.
Norris, of the state sheriff’s association, said that county population size is the factor with the largest impact on how much a sheriff earns. That metric can sometimes apply to how much employees in the office are paid, he said.
Counties grouped in the same category as Glynn in the annual state municipal salary survey due to population size reported offering various ranges of remuneration to their chief deputy sheriff or undersheriff. In the 2024 fiscal year survey, for example, Floyd County, the largest by population in the same group as Glynn, lists a maximum chief deputy salary of $80,178. Rockdale County, which has 5,000 more people than Glynn, has a maximum of $134,863.
In comparison, Liberty County and Camden County, which are grouped in the same size category as Glynn, reported $117,920 and $116,189 as the maximum salary for the position.
“The sheriff is not regulated by anybody. The sheriff is an independent office holder. The sheriff does what he wants with his employees within his budget. Now, the budget has to be approved by the county governing authority, but after the sheriff gets the budget, they can’t tell him how to spend it,” said Norris.
Path to undersheriff
Like his father, Robbie Jump spent significant chunks of his career in law enforcement.
In 1998, the 18-year-old high school graduate joined the Glynn County Police Department, where he spent 217 days as a dispatcher before resigning. His final performance evaluation noted an unsatisfactory rating in honesty and trustworthiness, as well as attendance. He received a grade of satisfactory in all other categories. However, he was not recommended for rehire.
He then got hired at the Georgia State Patrol, where his father worked at the time. Robbie worked as a trooper from 2001 until he resigned on Oct. 26, 2014.
According to his Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council (POST) record, a sanction was placed on his file related to an investigation opened that September. No action was ever taken, and the records for that investigation have been purged. Such sanctions in POST records suggest an allegation of misconduct, according to the POST website.
By then, Neal Jump had been elected sheriff. He hired his son at the sheriff’s office the day after Robbie resigned as a state patrol officer, starting him at the rank of an experienced deputy. Within three years, Robbie had been promoted to major.
When Corbett resigned in 2021 as undersheriff, Sheriff Jump hired Mario Morales for the position.
Morales, who began his law enforcement career with the Hinesville Police Department in 1980, served in the U.S. Army for 37 years, leaving the service as a Lt. Colonel. He also worked for a decade with the Department of Homeland Security and led the physical security division at the Department of Health and Human Services for three years.
Morales holds a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University and an Executive MBA from Auburn University.
There are 165 employees at the GCSO and 68 sworn officers, according to the Georgia Sheriff’s Association. Up until this spring, Robbie was supervising 50 deputies. He has not completed any educational degrees beyond high school, according to records from POST.
Norris, of the state sheriff’s association, conceded that the promotion of Robbie Jump appeared unusual. Yet ultimately, he said, it was up to the voters of Glynn County to change the situation if they weren’t satisfied.
“It could look negative to some of the people in Glynn County, but again, the citizens of Glynn County elected Neal Jump to be the sheriff and to run the operations of the sheriff’s office,” Norris said of the Sheriff’s decision. “He’s doing that, and if they don’t feel that it is the appropriate way to proceed, then you know their recourse is to elect someone else in the next election.”
Data reporter Maggie Lee assisted in this reporting.
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