Law enforcement veteran Jeremy Robinson thought he’d finish out his career as an instructor at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.
He’d already spent 15 years on the ground at the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, where he worked in special investigations and served on the SWAT team. And he was enjoying his job designing curriculum and training law enforcement officers from across the state.
Then, Mercer Police Chief Haley Beckham called. She had been Robinson’s manager at the training center, and now she wanted to know: Would he come to Mercer University and be her deputy chief?
“She needed someone to share her vision of not only continuing this police department but building it and making it even better,” Robinson said.
The opportunity appealed to him, and on Dec. 1, he became Mercer Police’s deputy chief. In this role, Robinson will handle the department’s day-to-day tasks and officer training.
“He understands that true leadership in public safety is not defined by authority or force but by responsibility, integrity and compassion,” Beckham said. “His ability to combine elite tactical proficiency with genuine empathy makes him uniquely suited for the role of deputy chief and an invaluable asset to this department.”
Robinson was born and raised in Macon. His dad worked for the city and took care of the Macon Police Department vehicles.
“Growing up in that shop, I was always around law enforcement, and that was just something I’d always wanted to do,” he said.
He loved hunting and shooting, and as a kid, he wanted to be a sniper like the ones he saw in the movies. He was a dedicated congregant of World of Faith church, where he also attended school.
After graduating from World of Faith Christian Academy in 2004, he started working to help support his family. He worked as a lineman at an aviation center before going into landscaping, including eight months as a crew leader for the company servicing Mercer’s Macon campus.
In 2008, Robinson was ready to pursue a career in law enforcement. He started working as a patrol officer at the Macon Police Department and steadily rose through the ranks, joining the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office when the city and county consolidated in 2014.
As part of the special investigations unit, he focused on crime related to narcotics and vice, such as prostitution and gambling. This included undercover sting operations and surveillance. As a SWAT operator, he participated in missions involving high-risk search warrants, hostage situations and barricaded gunmen.
Robinson planned to retire from the sheriff’s office and then pursue a job at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.
“Back in 2008 when I was a cadet with basic mandate, just being on that campus, I was like, this is where I want to end my career,” he said. “So going through my entire career, I always knew that I wanted to become an instructor because I enjoy teaching people.”
The call to join the training center came early when a friend offered him a job helping build a training program for school resource officers. He worked there for the last two years and was involved in designing curriculum for a single-officer response to an active threat.
Now, Robinson is looking forward to the new challenges that being Mercer’s deputy chief brings.
“I plan on exploring as much as I can,” he said. “I definitely plan on making myself known here as far as wanting to get to know people, not only the staff but the students. And I plan on walking the campus as often as I can.”
Robinson now lives in Crawford County with Amy Robinson, his wife of 19 years, and their children, Ansley, 14; Jaxen, 11; and Addilee Joy, 8. Amy is also pregnant with their fourth child.
Outside of work, he is passionate about church and the outdoors. He attends the Sanctuary of Macon, where he and his wife served as youth leaders for several years and now are the family life coordinators, working with married couples.
He still loves hunting and fishing, and he processes the animals he kills into meat for his family.
“There’s something about being in the woods, the ability to be out there. I love the peace of all that, but I also love the challenge of hunting when it comes to choosing what you’re going after,” he said.
Beckham said Robinson represents the highest standard of professional excellence and character.
“He is a recognized subject matter expert in school safety and has earned awards for his performance and leadership in SWAT operations. His tactical abilities are extraordinary, rooted in experience, discipline and sound judgment under pressure,” she said.
“What truly sets him apart, however, is not simply his skill set but the way he carries himself every day. Despite his extensive operational background, he leads with humility, calmness and respect. One would never assume his level of expertise based solely on his demeanor, and that is precisely what makes him exceptional. He consistently prioritizes service over recognition and is always thinking about the well-being of others — his officers, our partners and the community we serve.”
