by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
November 6, 2023
Leroy Stover was a staple within the Birmingham Police Division for over 30 years.
The police division in Birmingham, Alabama, is honoring a fallen member of its power. Leroy Stover, town’s first Black police officer, died on Nov. 2 on the age of 90.
Stover was a pioneer in regulation enforcement, becoming a member of the power in 1966 as a 33-year-old man throughout the Civil Rights Motion. The unique announcement was by means of a publish on X by the Birmingham police.
As we speak, our hearts are heavy as we morn the lack of former Deputy Chief Leory Stover. As the primary black officer to combine the Birmingham power, his legacy and work on the Birmingham Police Division paved a method for others to comply with in his footsteps. pic.twitter.com/5tbk6RB2dS
— Bhampolice (@BhamPolice) November 3, 2023
“As we speak, our hearts are heavy as we [mourn] the lack of former Deputy Chief [Leroy] Stover,” shared the division in a number of posts. “As the primary black officer to combine the Birmingham power, his legacy and work on the Birmingham Police Division paved a method for others to comply with in his footsteps. We provide our full condolences to the household and know that he would perpetually be in our hearts and[ minds].”
Stover was a local of Selma, Alabama, who graduated on the high of his highschool class in 1952 and joined the U.S. Military as a paratrooper. Upon changing into a member of the Birmingham Police Division, Stover revealed that he initially confronted discrimination and isolation from his new co-workers however continued on his profession journey and rose in rank. Throughout his 32 years of service, the pioneer’s exhausting work led to his promotion to deputy chief in 1992 earlier than his retirement six years later.
The second Black police officer in Birmingham, Johnnie Johnson, joined a day after him. Ultimately, Johnson turned the primary Black police chief within the division’s historical past, appointing Stover to his highest position within the power. Stover’s long-lasting legacy of service and dedication to his group led his niece to publish a ebook on his life titled, “Leroy Stover, Birmingham, Alabama’s First Black Policeman: An Inspirational Story.”
Stover leaves an affect that commemorates his work in regulation enforcement, together with the naming of the renovated West Precinct in his honor March 2015. The Birmingham Police division additional celebrated his legacy in 2021 by restating his message that embodies his spirit, “You reside proper, deal with folks proper, proper will comply with you.”
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