People Profiles: Leroy Brown

For most people, retirement is a time to relax — maybe taking up a hobby or enjoying vacations and time with the family.

For Leroy Brown, retirement means overseeing security for more than 18,000 students and staff in .

And keeping campuses safe isn’t his only gig.

A former Cook County Sheriff’s deputy and Vietnam veteran, Brown has served as a trustee since 1993. He is the village’s deputy mayor, and hosts the weekly “Bridging the Gap” talk show for .

After serving as the head of security for the Sears Tower for 33 years, Brown said he wanted to do something to give back to the community after his retirement in 2006.

It didn’t take him long at all to do just that.

“I retired from Sears on a Friday,” he said. “That Monday, I was working for Valley View.”

Brown oversees all aspects of security at the district’s 21 buildings as the student, staff and school safety coordinator.

Making a difference

“I’ve always been around students because I want to be an influence,” said Brown, who is active with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will County. The desire to be an influence led Brown to his new career at Valley View, he said.

While some kids look up to athletes and celebrities, “If a student can look at an everyday person … I think that makes a bigger difference,” Brown explained.

His military training and three decades of security experience definitely play a role in his work, Brown said, but keeping violence out of school buildings is just one aspect of the job.

“Security’s not just about keeping guns out of schools,” he said. “Security is about maintaining a safe environment so students can feel safe coming to school and teachers can feel safe doing their jobs.”

Making changes

After joining the district in 2006, Brown said he began developing a comprehensive new security program. He started by consulting with the head of security at Chicago Public Schools. With his military training in protective service, Brown was also able to tap into contacts he had with the Secret Service.

“I figured if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it right,” he said.

To provide a “safe haven” for kids and staff, Brown said he made sure school security workers were immediately identifiable.

“I made sure every security person had something that identified them as security,” he said. “It’s crucial that they can see someone they can go to if someone’s bullying them or there’s a security issue.”

Brown said he also worked to recruit staffers with a background in security, including former state police and retired law enforcement.

Staff members also undergo extensive training, including CPR and first aid, along with regular drills to ensure campus safety. Each school is required to conduct two lockdown drills each year, along with tornado and fire drills.

“I always tell them, practice doesn’t make perfect,” Brown said. “It makes habit.”

Brown said he’s worked to create an environment in which students are comfortable going to security personnel when they have a problem.

“I tell security people, you’re not these young people’s friends, but I want you to be friendly,” he said.

Brown said that strategy paid off recently, when a teen tipped staff off to a possible gun on campus. While the weapon turned out to be a BB gun, “She came to a security person and said [she] saw something that didn’t look right,” Brown said.

“Because of that relationship, and because this young lady felt comfortable going to security, it diffused what could have been a bigger situation.”

Safety first

Despite his busy schedule, Brown said he’s always accessible to principals and staff.

“If something’s going on at school, I’m always on duty,” he said.

Brown said he’s able to balance his busy schedule by prioritizing. When he’s at work, school safety is his only focus.

“When I’m here, nothing else matters,” he said. While some people are able to multitask, Brown noted, “I can’t afford to do that when I’m dealing with children’s lives.” 

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