There’s no need to introduce Warren County Sgt. Leroy Williams.

Williams has touched the lives of thousands of people in his nearly 40 years as a law enforcement officer. It’s hard to go anywhere without everyone knowing him.

“My wife and I can go into Walmart, and she leaves me at the front door as people come up and talk. She finishes her shopping and comes back and grabs me by the hand and says ‘Let’s go,’” he said.

That’s no surprise, said Sheriff Martin Pace.

“Nearly everyone in the community knows Leroy Williams. And Leroy knows almost everybody,” Pace said.

Today, Williams will be given the Top Cop award at the 10th annual Police Memorial Day program in Jackson.

“The 17 years I’ve worked with Leroy has been great,” Pace said. “He has always been a professional, courteous officer.”

Williams began working with Vicksburg police in 1976 and retired in 1996 as a lieutenant over the traffic division. Two years later he began working with the Warren County Sheriff’s Department.

“The sheriff saw me one day and said ‘I need you to come by my office.’ Next thing I know I was back in a rig,” William said.

The 64-year-old said it has taken a lot of dedication to stay in law enforcement so long, and he is thankful for the support of his wife, Dianne.

“If you really want to work and stay in one job, you’ve got to be as devoted to it as you are to your wife,” Williams said.

There are years of wonderful memories, but that’s not to say it the job hasn’t been without its intense moments that Williams said are better left unspoken.

“Sometimes late at night, I would get up and grab a cup of coffee and not be able to hold onto it without spilling it and wondering what in the world I was thinking,” he said.

In recent years, Williams has been a mainstay at parades, special events, and directing traffic for funerals.

“Leroy’s specialty has always been accident investigation and traffic management, but he has always made himself available to the public,” Pace said. “I’ve known Leroy throughout most of his career. He has always been the perfect example of community policing.”

The career and attitude must be genetic, Williams said. His father, grandfather and great-grand father and brother were all in law enforcement.

“It seemed like it was predetermined no matter what I did that I got shoved in the direction of wearing a badge and a gun,” he said.