2020 - Next Up to The Plate, Commander Al Young!

Have you ever been on campus late in the day? Then you’ve likely run into Commander Allen Young! As the second shift (3 to 11 p.m.) supervisor for the Elgin Community College Police Department, Young is a big proponent of community and creating a safe environment on campus where everyone feels comfortable.  

“Everyone here can call us or stop us in the halls if they see anything that may need our attention,” Young said. “We have officers patrolling the parking lots and walking the halls to interact with everyone and be available for questions.”

Young has a long history with the ECC community, having served for 28 years with the Elgin Police Department, retiring as the deputy chief in 2019 to join the ECCPD. 

Find out below where this avid sports fan likes to travel when he’s not in uniform serving the campus community:

What is your greatest accomplishment since you’ve been here?

I have been at ECC for one year, and one of my responsibilities is to manage the fleet of vehicles. My greatest accomplishment regarding the fleet is securing an alternative maintenance agreement with a different shop that has proven to be more cost-effective, and communication with this shop has been excellent.

Name a job or role at ECC that you would like to try for one day and explain why.

I would like to try teaching a criminal justice class here at ECC! ECC has many great instructors with very diverse backgrounds, and it would be a great challenge for me to instruct at this level.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work (i.e. hobbies/interests)?

I am an avid sports fan, and I really enjoy traveling to different states to watch the Bears and White Sox play on the road. I also enjoy plain old traveling. In the past, I have traveled numerous times across the country and in Europe. I have also spent time traveling through South Africa and Asia.

If you could live in a TV show, which show would it be and why?

I don’t watch a lot of TV, so I can’t think of a show I’d like to live in. But, right now, I’d love to be on TV as a baseball analyst – doing commentary for the White Sox during this playoff season would be the best!

Where is the best place you’ve traveled? Or where would you like to visit?

I can’t say where the best place was that I have traveled because each place has been so unique in its own way. As soon as we’re able, I’d like to go back to Asia or visit Central and South America.

You have to wear a t-shirt with just one word on it for an entire year. What word would that word be and why?

The one word I would wear would be the word, “AND….” I would choose that word because there is always more to the story.

Share a fact about you that might surprise people to learn.

I owned a restaurant at one time and my original interest was not police work—I studied Aviation Engineering at Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

What job have you held (besides ECC) that was the most fun, interesting or difficult? Explain why.

Long before being an officer at ECC, my favorite job was my very first job. I was 16 and worked my way up the ranks from a stock person to the assistant store manager for Pier 1 Imports. I held this job through most of my college days. When I would get together with my high school friends after work, they would all smell like burgers and fries because most of them worked at fast food places. Because I worked at Pier 1, I would smell like potpourri and scented candles, which I could never live down. I had the most fun at Pier 1 because I met awesome people, I learned at what true retail customer service was, and I was making $4.00/hour when the minimum wage was $3.35, I was banking!!

Name someone you admire and explain why.

Someone that I admired a lot was the former Principal of Elgin High School, Ron O’Neal. I worked for him at EHS from 1996-2001. He was an extraordinary boss—he was the epitome of a role model and a great human being.

Complete this sentence: “I enjoy working at ECC because…

…of the amazing atmosphere here that the staff, students have created!“