Jimmy Hester

Jimmy Hester began his law enforcement career in 1972 where he served the McMinn County Sheriff's Department for 4 years in Athens, TN.  In 1976 he joined the Bradley County Sheriff's Department in Cleveland, TN., where he spent the next 9 years serving in various assignments including that of the Chief of Detectives. In 1985 Jimmy joined the Tennessee Highway Patrol, where he served various posts during the next 12 years in the greater Nashville area. In 1997 Jimmy was promoted to the position of Special Agent in Charge of Region 3, where he served as the Executive Officer overseeing the day to day operations of the entire Unit, until retirement 1985. Jimmy joined the LoJack Corporation where he has been employed for the last 9 years, serving in their Law Enforcement Liaison Unit, assisting law enforcement in the tracking and recovery of stolen vehicles. In 2012, Jimmy was promoted to the position of Law Enforcement Manager. Jimmy is renowned for his knowledge of auto theft and fraud, and is the expert who literally “wrote the book” on the identification of tractors & trailers.

Jimmy Hester became a member of IAATI 1985, where he began serving the SERC and rose through the ranks of Executive Board. Jimmy was ultimately elected 2005-2006 SE-IAATI Chapter President & currently continues to serve as Past President. During the 10 years I have been a part of SE-IAATI, he has tirelessly served on both the Training & Awards Committees as Chairman, and has been a mentor & role model for countless auto theft investigators across the SE United States and elsewhere.  Jimmy Hester’s vast knowledge of auto theft investigation & the identification of vehicles have made him one of the SERC’s top instructors, who over the years has repeatedly been asked to volunteer his time to teach at the annual conferences, and has additionally served for many years as both a member and a Chairman of the Nominations Committee. Jimmy is considered a “Senior Statesmen” within the organization, and continues to share the wisdom of his counsel with the Executive Board. Furthermore, Jimmy & his wife Pat have remained part of that core group of volunteers who work behind the scene year after year, to make the annual conference a success for its members.