Former Deputy Police Chief for the City of Gainesville Jane Nichols passed away Saturday morning following an extended illness.
Nichols joined GPD in 1982 and served in various roles, including the ranks of Captain, Deputy Chief and Interim Chief after Chief Frank Hooper retired in 2008. Nichols was the first woman in the agency's history to have held all three titles. She retired from GPD in 2010.
Gainesville Police Chief Jay Parrish shared his memories of working with Nichols throughout his career.
“All the times I was around her, there was a big smile on her face,” Parrish recalled. “You didn't want to disappoint her. And you know, she would tell you: ‘do the right thing for the right reasons,’ and if you did that, she was going to support you no matter what the outcome was.”
Nichols most recently served as Deputy Chief for the Statham Police Department in Barrow County prior to her illness, according to Parrish. He said he admired Nichols’ leadership throughout her time with the department.
“There's a lot of people that paved the road before me for me to get in the position I'm at,” Parrish said. “They invested in me, and, you know, they policed in times that were difficult to police in. And she was one of those pioneers, and will miss her, and I owe her a great debt of gratitude for all she did for the Gainesville Police Department, what she did for my career.”
No services have been announced as of last report.
