Police Public Affairs Unit
She was the baby (youngest child) of the family. Her siblings thought they had to always look out for her but after she joined the police force, the family appreciated that she ended up looking out for them.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Born in Philadelphia, TY was the youngest of several brothers and sisters.
CHILDHOOD
TY was quiet at home, often staying indoors to read Jane Austen novels.
EDUCATION
Following her public high school graduation, TY joined the Philadelphia Police Department as a patrol officer. As a female, she was one of a small overall percentage of police employees.
Over the years, TY took night classes at a local university, eventually earning a Bachelor’s degree in English literature and a Master’s degree in professional communication.
Consistent with TY’s early interest in reading books and her college courses in literature, she confided to friends that “I have a few novels which I’d like to write, now only rolling around in the back of my mind.” In the meantime, she liked to write short stories to give away as Christmas gifts.
CAREER
As a police officer, TY dedicated herself to learning her responsibilities and responsibly interacting with the community. Her 33-year career started in the patrol division, earning swift promotion to District Lieutenant and eventual leadership positions in the Public Affairs Unit and the Internal Affairs Bureau at the police academy.
Promoted half a dozen times, TY won citations for apprehending a robbery suspect and publicizing safety programs for women and the elderly.
She directed the Philadelphia Police department’s local media presence for seven years and for one year, hosted a local cable tv program involving a law-and-order theme, “Philadelphia’s Most Wanted.”
Other tasks undertaken by TY as part of her Public Affairs Unit leadership included editing and writing for the department’s monthly magazine, writing public remarks to be read by successive police commissioners, representing the department at countless public events and training aspiring officers at the police academy.
TY was often the public face of the department at crime scenes, news conferences and visits by Santa Claus to holiday parties at district headquarters.
CHALLENGE – FEMALE WORKING IN A MALE MAJORITY CAREER
Having earned the respect and praise of both fellow police officers and the community, TY told a local news reporter, “I think people are learning that a female police officer can and will produce in any field of police work.”
CAREER SATISFACTION
After several decades of police work, TY won the Shirley Chisholm Award for community service from the Philadelphia Congress of the National Congress of Black Women.
TY was involved with the Maryland-based National Organization of Black Women in Law Enforcement and took great pride in her career-long connections with the public. “It was always a pleasure for people to recognize me and call me by my name,” she once proudly told a news reporter.
Editor’s note – As the first Black woman to lead Philadelphia’s Police Public Affairs Unit, TY had clearly earned the respect of the community while she worked hard to promote a positive image for the entire police department, which benefited from her years of service within their ‘long blue line.’
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This career story is based primarily on an obituary written by Gary Miles, published by The Philadelphia Inquirer on 1/9/22.
