LAPD’s First Black Chief The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is one of the most famous and largest police departments in the United States. The department has investigated some of the most unspeakable and historic crimes in the country, including the gruesome Tate murders committed by the Manson Family, the case of Efren Saldivar, a
How a Three-Day Symposium Became a Leading Organization for African Americans in Law Enforcement In September 1976, a symposium was called by the Police Foundation and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA), with the Joint Center for Political Studies (JCPS), to address the issue of crime in low-income urban areas of the United States. What
Baltimore’s “Lady Law” It is unique for a city’s first Black officer to be a woman—but that’s precisely what happened in Baltimore, Maryland, early in the 20th century. Image Source In December 1937, Violet Hill Whyte was the first Black officer to be appointed to the Baltimore Police Department. She served with the department for
The First Black Sheriff since Reconstruction Macon County, Alabama, has been a place of progress for African Americans since 1881 when Booker T. Washington founded the Tuskegee University, initially known as the Tuskegee Normal School. African American leaders from all fields have made their mark on Macon County’s history, including law enforcement, when, in 1967,
Co-Founder of the African American Police League Renault Robinson was born on September 8, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois—a city that would become the epicenter of not only his law enforcement career, but also his Civil Rights advocacy. Robinson joined the Chicago Police Department in 1964 and was one of the officers who provided police protection
Atlanta’s First African American Police Officers In April 1948, the basement of Atlanta’s Butler Street YMCA took on a new role—a police precinct for the city’s first Black officers: Henry Hooks, Claude Dixon, Ernest H. Lyons, Robert McKibbens, Willard Strickland, Willie T. Elkins, Johnnie P. Jones, and John Sanders. They ranged in age from 21
The Black Klansman When Ron Stallworth joined the Colorado Springs Cadet Program, a program which was designed to bring more minorities into the department, he had no idea that he — a law enforcement officer and a Black man—would successfully infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. Image Source At age 22, Stallworth became the Colorado Springs Police Department’s
The First Black Woman to Become a Federal Judge Constance Baker Motley was born on September 14, 1921 in New Haven, Connecticut—the ninth of 12 children—to immigrant parents from the Caribbean island Nevis. Her mother was one of the founding members of the New Haven NAACP, and introduced her children to African American History and the
The Real “Lone Ranger” There are no more popular stories of the Wild American West than that of The Lone Ranger—a steadfast, heroic lawman who worked alone and carried the weight of law and order on his shoulders. But did you know that the inspiration behind this beloved character came in the form of a
America’s First Black Female Officer There was nary a role for women in law enforcement prior to the turn of the 20th century, but the first women to find their niche in the field ended up making a great impact on not only their communities, but also in history. Georgia Ann Robinson was one of