Those Who Keep Us Safe – Leonce Young

Leonce Young, a native of South Louisiana, enrolled in Louisiana State University with aspirations to pursue an engineering degree; however, he felt that was not his destiny. He instead opted to join the United States military serving in the Navy and Marines for a total of 22 years.

Leonce is married with two adult children and his favorite pastime is riding his motorcycle along the scenic highways.

Officer Young’s desire to join law enforcement began while in the active military. He accompanied a friend during a ride-along in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and that experience ignited the fire in him to pursue a career in law enforcement.

Now a retired military veteran, Leonce has served the Vicksburg Police Department for the past 26 years in various roles including: patrolman, motor officer, K-9 officer and crash investigator.

During his stint with Vicksburg Police Department, Leonce has received many awards and recognitions including Vicksburg/Warren Benevolent Police Officer of the Year, Motorcycle Instructor certification from Maryland State Police, accident reconstruction certification, and Federal Aviation Administration/UAS Remote Drone Pilot certification.

His most memorable event was escorting and providing security for the Miss Mississippi Pageant contestants throughout hus beautiful city of Vicksburg.

Young said, “The most rewarding thing about the work I do is helping people in the community, especially the young children and older adults. However, I feel the most challenging thing about law enforcement is separating family members from their loved ones due to incidents that could have been prevented.”

Young believes that in order to be a good law enforcement officer, one must have compassion for others, the ability to think quickly under stressful situations, good communication skills and, above all, integrity.

He said, “One thing I wish all people knew about law enforcement officers is we are human beings with a caring heart and at the end of the day we want everyone to return home safely.”

The most enjoyable part of being a police officer for Young is the fact that every day is different.

“I have the privilege of encountering people from various walks of life, backgrounds and experiences,” he said.

Young credits Captain Cozell Gilliam with being the most influential person in his professional life.

Of Gilliam, Young said, “Because of his wisdom; he always knew what to say no matter the circumstance.”

Young’s parting words of wisdom were these, “As we live in a world of uncertainty, one thing we should remember is law enforcement officers are here to make a difference in the lives of everyone by ensuring our community is a safe place of all to enjoy.”