Robert Stewart los Angeles Police Department's First Black Police Officer
Robert William Stewart, born into slavery in 1850, became the first Black officer in the Los Angeles Police Department in 1886. He served until 1900, when he was unjustly dismissed. Acquitted in court, he later worked as a laborer. In 2021, the LAPD posthumously reinstated Stewart, acknowledging the injustice.
Charles P. Williams First Known Black LAPD Officer Killed in the Line of Duty
Officer Charles P. Williams was the first Black LAPD officer killed in the line of duty in 1923. Misidentified for decades, his legacy was rediscovered through archival research. Once buried in an unmarked grave, he is now honored with a memorial, symbolizing long-overdue recognition and justice for his sacrifice.
Georgia Ann Robinson Los Angeles First Black Female Police Officer
Georgia Ann Robinson was the first African American woman police officer in the LAPD and among the first in the U.S. Appointed in 1919, she worked on juvenile and homicide cases. After losing her sight on duty, she continued activism, founding shelters and fighting for desegregation until her death in 1961.
Leon Leroy Whitaker Los Angeles County's First Black Deputy District Attorney
Born on August 14, 1904, in Rome, Georgia, Leon Leroy Whitaker made history on March 15, 1930, when he was appointed the first Black Deputy District Attorney in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office at just 26 years old.
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