High speed, low drag, no nonsense: how one Louisiana cop became a DLX symbol of comradery.
EUGENE / JULY 21, 2020 – Percy Mosely runs on little sleep and a whole lot of charisma. The 63-year-old Gulf War Veteran, father, sharp dresser, woodworker, motorcycle enthusiast, and gym rat has a level of optimism that is second only to the enduring commitment to his community. A longtime DLX cheerleader and esteemed dignitary in his neck of the woods, Mosely’s honesty and humor can make a conversation with a complete stranger feel like catching up with an old friend.
This laidback Louisiana native was born in Gibson – 70 miles southwest of New Orleans. Mosely and his twin brother Amos are the middle of 14 children. His family moved 20 miles east to Houma when he was young and through all his adventures, including a stint in Germany, he always returns to his roots.
Today Mosely is the Director of Security and Safety and the Emergency Response Coordinator at Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma. As if these positions aren’t demanding enough, he’s also a lieutenant for the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Office. When I asked how he balances such hefty responsibilities while keeping a smile on his face he simply said: “I love what I do. Every day is a good day.”
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL CHANGED IT ALL
At 27-years-old, Mosely was an oilfield salesman ready for a change. One night he was watching a presidential address and found himself fixated on the people escorting the Commander-in-Chief across the stage, more commonly known as the Secret Service. “I want to do that,” he thought to himself. With a little research Mosely discovered he would need a college degree, military experience, or a job in law enforcement to be qualified for the position – none of which he had at the time. The following evening, while watching Monday Night Football, he saw a commercial for the Army. Within 24 hours Mosely found himself face-to-face with a recruiter saying, “I’m telling you I want to be military police. I’m also telling you not to give me time to change my mind.” Two weeks later he was on his way to Army basic training.
“I love what I do. Every day is a good day.”
After getting out of the military on July 19th, 1991, Mosely wasted no time transitioning into a civilian career. When asked how he handles both of the positions he holds today, he explained that he’s always had two jobs. “I had five interviews on July 22nd. I accepted two jobs that day and started work on the 23rd.” Mosely began his career at the Terrebonne General Medical Center and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Office on the very same day, never looking back. “Is it challenging? Yes. But it’s a lot of fun because I get to deal with different people and cultures all over the area.” He may not have ended up in the Secret Service, but Mosely worked with them throughout his military career and is grateful for that initial goal because it directed him to where he is today. His commonly used catchphrase, “high speed, low drag,” gets right to the heart of the no-nonsense approach Mosely takes when it comes to his work.
A NATURAL DISASTER OF UNNATURAL PROPORTION
“Grab a permanent marker and write your name, social security number, or other identifying information somewhere on your body. It will help us identify you if you’re injured or killed.”
Unlike some disasters that only allow only a moment’s notice, atmospheric monitoring of hurricanes give people like Mosely the opportunity to plan for what’s to come. This Southerner is no stranger to extreme weather, and it’s part of his job is to make sure his hospital, staff, and community are ready when it hits. His teams begins planning for hurricanes in January for a season that starts in June, knowing fully well that one could arrive at any point of the year. As a safety director at the hospital, Mosely is tasked with educating his staff and deploying procedures to keep his hospital functional during a storm. This includes having employees report to work before extreme weather prevents them from commuting and providing sleeping quarters so they can stay with patients while they ride out the storm. As a police officer, Mosely’s focus is often on public safety. His department responds to incoming hurricanes by informing citizens with public service announcements and enforcing evacuation or shelter-in-place orders via street patrols. The stark reality of Mosely’s job is exemplified by the advice he gives people who could become stuck in a storm: “Grab a permanent marker and write your name, social security number, or other identifying information somewhere on your body. It will help us identify you if you’re injured or killed.”
When asked to describe a standout moment of his career, Mosely didn’t hesitate to point to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “It was bad,” he recalled with a deep breath. Louisiana actually survived the storm, but floods resulting from breached levees near New Orleans (40 miles south of his hospital), ravaged the coastal part of the state and presented him with the most challenging moments of his career to date. Mosely described the utter chaos of trying to communicate with widespread power outages and organize large groups of elderly, sick, and scared patients that sought refuge at Terrebonne Medical Center. “People were taking U-Haul trucks, filling them up with patients from other hospitals, and driving away [from the flood zones]. One of those trucks pulled up to our emergency ramp and the driver just dropped it off and took off on foot. Gone. Without even telling us where the patients had come from. All of the sudden we had all these elderly people in the back of this U-Haul. We don’t know their names. Some of them don’t even know their own names. And we have no paperwork for any of them.”
“Percy is the kind of guy that will drive several hours just to have lunch with a friend, or even with a friends’ parents if they are in town or he is nearby.”
Mosely’s experience post-Katrina led to a new system that allows patients in transport to be tracked from start point to end point, so if their whereabouts are ever in question, healthcare workers will have information to share with loved ones. Mosely played a significant role in developing and implementing the program into the hospital’s Emergency Support Functions (ESF) programs.
GOOD COP, BAD COP
Mosely represents a unique intersection of being a black man in America and also a police officer. In the midst of a racial justice movement calling for police reform, leaving this topic out of the conversation would have been a missed opportunity. When asked how it feels to identify as both, Mosely said, “Being black and a police officer has never been a thought to me until now. What just happened in Minneapolis was wrong without a doubt. None of our training teaches us to put our knee on a man’s neck.” At the same time, he expressed frustration towards the destruction of property across the country, saying: “That’s innocent people losing jobs. People losing money. That’s the wrong answer. I feel that wholeheartedly… Someone should have to pay for that.” Mosely loves what he does and wakes up each day eager to serve, uplift, and uphold his community. “Some people are going to like it, and some may not. Either way, I have a job to do and I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.”
DLX O.G.
A team is only as strong as its support system and at DLX we’re lucky to have a core group that’s been cheering us on since the start – affectionally known around the office as “O.Gs.” Mosely is no exception.
JJ Urhausen, DLX Founder and President, met Mosely a year after Hurricane Katrina. Their first meal together was at ACME Oyster House near New Orleans. Urhausen describes Mosely as a Louisiana version of Anthony Bourdain – always delivering good company and great conversation. “Percy is the kind of guy that will drive several hours just to have lunch with a friend, or even with a friends’ parents if they are in town or he is nearby,” explained Urhausen. The two have maintained a strong relationship over the years and never hang up the phone without saying, “Love you, Brother. Talk soon.”
On my very first day with the company, I heard about this DLX legend from Louisiana who had become deeply engrained in the DLX family and visits every summer for the company BBQ. From the moment I met him in July 2020, I understood what all the hype was about. He may not like pizza, and has a questionable taste in beer, but his particularities are no match for the warmth he brings to a room.
Mosely embodies the value DLX places on being in the people business, not just the disaster preparedness business. We seek to be an extension of your team as Mosely has been to ours. Meghan McCrone, DLX Administrative Coordinator, describes him as “smiley, happy, humble, and hilarious.” A photo displaying that noteworthy smile hangs in the hallway of the DLX HQ and serves as a constant reminder to welcome others the way Mosely has welcomed us. His infectious laugh and fun demeanor challenge stereotypes commonly associated with law enforcement, reinforcing the importance of getting to know someone before you generalize them.
When he’s not patrolling the beat or coordinating hospital safety and security, Mosely uses anything from cypress to shipping pallets to handcraft furniture for people he loves. He’s also known as a benefactor within his community – cooking large pots of his signature jambalaya for communal events and volunteering for (and winning) a local rendition of Dancing with the Stars. A public servant by definition, we are proud to call Percy Mosely an Honorary Hustler.
