Leesburg Police Chief Brown To Retire After 26 Years In Policing

LEESBURG, VA — Leesburg Chief of Police Gregory Brown announced plans to retire on Dec. 1 after more than six years as chief of police, the Leesburg Police Department said Thursday.

Brown, who was sworn in as Leesburg Chief of Police in October 2016, expanded the department to a staff of 90 sworn officers and 18 civilians. Among the positions added to the department during his tenure were a public information officer, crime and traffic analyst, and domestic violence detective.

Leesburg Deputy Chief of Police Vanessa Grigsby will serve as acting police chief until Brown’s replacement is selected. A nationwide search for Leesburg’s next police chief is underway, the department said.

Brown began his law enforcement career with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department in 1996 and joined the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in 1997, where he served for almost 20 years, reaching the rank of captain before his appointment as Leesburg Chief of Police.

Upon his retirement on Dec. 1, Brown plans to serve as executive director of the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy, where he will oversee the training of members of the Town of Leesburg Police Department and 16 other regional law enforcement agencies. Brown previously served as a deputy director of basic training at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy from 2013 to 2015.

During his tenure, Brown, Leesburg's first Black police chief, oversaw the implementation of a new dispatch telephone system and Computer Aided Dispatch system, the headquarters building expansion project, the creation of the department’s unmanned aircraft systems program, and equipping the police department with body worn and in car cameras.