Crimes, Criminals and the Cops Who Chase Them
Check out this interesting blog by Larry Watts, a former cop in Houston. “I reinvent myself about every 20 years,” Watts says. “From small town boy to big city cop, then to labor negotiator, and now a writer of crime and social justice novels.”
Watt’s most recent posting is about a 63-year-veteran officer, E.A. Thomas, one of the first African-American men to serve with the Houston Police Dept.
From the blog: When he became a police officer in 1948, E.A. Thomas could not attend daily roll calls with white officers, was not permitted to drive a patrol car, couldn’t go into the police cafeteria to buy a cup of coffee or eat lunch, and had to get permission from a white officer in order to arrest a white person. If he needed a drink of water, there was a special “colored” fountain for him to drink from. He stayed with the Department for 63 years during which time he witnessed enormous changes in the Houston Police Department.
It is a sign of respect to address police officers as “Officer,” but before he retired, E.A. Thomas had earned a title intended to be even more respectful. Everyone, including police chiefs, called him Mr. Thomas. He was a person who avoided the public stage with fervor. Because he was still serving as an active police officer at the age of 91, there was much media interest in his story. But Mr. Thomas denied all requests for interviews.