Former Clarion officer now on EGPD force

The newest Eagle Grove Police Department officer has seen law enforcement from two sides, both as an officer and as a jailer at the Sheriff’s Office in Clarion, and has always wanted a career in this field. He just recently began his tour of duty with Chief Beltran and his force.

“I grew up wanting to do this,” said Leland Williams. “My uncle was an officer in Gary, Indiana for 32 years until he retired. I wanted to follow in his footsteps. He would tell me stories, and I got to do a couple ride-along’s. That peaked my interest. I decided I wanted to carry on the family tradition.”

Officer Williams is originally from Sioux City, and obtained his degree in Criminal Justice from Ellsworth Community College in Cedar Falls. He was certified as an advanced EMT at NIACC in Mason City, and started his career as a reserve officer in Ackley for 10 years. He then came to Wright County, and worked at the jail in Clarion for two years before becoming certified and working for the police department there starting in 2014.

“My favorite part of the job is interacting with people and kids,” said Williams. “No two days are ever alike.” He wants to try to make sure kids understand it’s okay to approach and talk to a cop, and to learn they’re not all bad. “They feel like they can talk to me,” he said.

“In turn, I’ll treat everyone with respect.”

While he has been out on the job here already, he admits he’s still learning the ropes of this department. “In the future, I would like to do the DARE program or some type of youth outreach,” said Williams. “Some type of drug-related prevention to try to steer them away from that.”

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