A legacy in law enforcement that began with the late MDCC Police Chief Henry Manuel will continue on with his son, who also bears his name, as he takes on the mantle of law enforcement officer.
The junior Manuel, who stands more than 6-feet tall, is affectionately known as Lil’ Henry and he has achieved his official classification as a certified police officer.
On Aug. 2, he successfully completed the Law Enforcement Training Academy at Mississippi Delta Community College, and has begun his tour of duty on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University.
During the graduation ceremony, Manuel was recognized for achieving several distinctions including the third place Top Physical Training award, successfully completing the Warrior Challenge and for running five miles in under 50 minutes.
In a recent press release from MVSU, the campus’ Director of Public Safety Chief Alex Granderson said of Manuel and co-graduate Svante’ Brown, “Both of these young men started as security, and I saw the potential in them, they have the will, the drive and the attitude for this profession. It’s hard to find good candidates for law enforcement in this day and time, but I’m very blessed to have them on my team.”
The junior Manuel’s regret is that his father could not be present at his ceremony. Henry Sr. passed away unexpectedly at his home in February, just shy of his 55th birthday. He too served as protector on one of the Delta’s campuses of higher learning.
Having served the last two and a half years as a security officer there, Lil’ Henry is no stranger to the MVSU campus. So, what prompted the 25-year-old to seek the higher classification? He said, “Being around my father, that’s all I know.”
Manuel said his dad was his role model, the one who taught him to be responsible and take care of business. That was a position the senior Manuel personified each day of his son’s life.
Henry Jr. said, “I never saw him do any wrong, he was perfect in my eyes.” And he seeks to pattern his life after his late father. Lil’ Henry said his dad raised him to be the man of the house when he wasn’t around.
The junior Manuel praised his father for the commanding and discernible role he played. He noted that they did a lot of things together including working out. The 2011 Gentry graduate said when he played football on the high school squad, “He came to all of my games, he was always there for me.”
Henry junior admits that it was kind of challenging growing up and having all of his friends know his dad was a police officer, but he was always proud of that fact. He said his dad could appear to be intimidating at times but he actually had a soft heart. “He treated my sisters and my mom right,” Lil’ Henry said, “If I ever needed anything, he tried to get it for me.”
He said his dad always encouraged him to do the right thing, and go to church.
He credits his father for enticing him and showing him the ropes with regards to law enforcement, but even with that, Manuel initially started out seeking a degree in biology from Mississippi Delta Community College before going on to MVSU where he later decided that course of study was not for him. He eventually changed his major to criminal justice.
Upon graduating in 2016, Henry Jr locked up a position as a security guard on the Valley campus. And in November 2017, he decided to take it a step further, so in May of 2018 he enrolled in the police academy. Manuel said his eventual goal is to apply his skills on the federal level.
