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During the Utah Chiefs of Police Association’s annual Utah Chiefs of Police Conference in St. George last week, Ogden Chief of Police Eric Young was given the highest honor his peers could bestow upon him.

“I am proud and honored to be named Large Agency Chief of the Year,” Young told the Standard-Examiner. “I serve with some absolutely amazing chiefs of police in this great state and to be recognized in that crowd was very humbling.”

Any other day, the award would be a major distinction. The UCOPA award for Chief of the Year, though, was presented to Young exactly 30 years after he started his career in law enforcement.

“The coincidence was quite amazing,” he said. “A police career goes by so quickly that a person doesn’t often stop to think about the milestones. Having these two land on the same day caused me to pause and reflect on what a great career it’s been and how much I’ve appreciated my time serving the citizens Ogden.”

He said there are many people who have helped him along on that three-decade journey. Young specifically named previous chiefs Mike Ashment, Randy Watt and Jon Greiner, along with Assistant Chief Wayne Tarwater for helping him thrive in his career.

Emily Anderson, Standard-Examiner file photo

“I also owe so much to Ogden City’s CAO Mark Johnson and Mayor Mike Caldwell. Both of them have not been afraid to help me see my blind spots so that I could grow the capacity within myself to lead this police department,” Young said. “I also reflect on what amazing people I have inside the police department right now whose work makes things like this possible. My command staff is amazing as are all the officers and civilians who work for the department.”

However, Young said it’s not just other law enforcement and city officials that have helped mold him into the chief he is today, mentioning his mother — a longtime employee of Weber State University, Ogden Weber Applied Technology Center and the state of Utah while volunteering with different community organizations — his wife, Erin, and his daughters Carrigan, Peyton and Morgan. Young also thanked the people of Ogden for the distinction.

“OPD enjoys tremendous support from our citizens day in and day out,” he said. “I am so proud to tell people about my city and the amazing people who choose to make it their home. OPD returns that support by providing the highest level of police service to its citizens. We are committed to being a professional, committed and hard-working police department with a strategic plan that guides us in our journey of continuous improvement.”