Blacks in Law Enforcement - Part II

 JAMES T. SMITH, Chief of Police - Lawton Police Department

James Smith became the Chief of Police for the Lawton Police Department, September, 2012. He has over 30 years of comprehensive law enforcement experience that dates back to 1982. His last assignment was with the Louisville Metro Police Department, where he served as the Special Operations Division Commander. The full article is located on page 14.

GERALD MCCAULEY, Chief of Police - Arcadia Police Department

Gerald McCauley joined the Arcadia Police Department in 1993. Today he serves as the Arcadia Chief of Police, a position he has held for 24 years. The residents of Arcadia was his motivation for joining the department, not long after completing a 25-year career in the military. He recalls that one of his first challenges was … just getting people to realize that the town actually had a “lawman” now representing the community. The full article is located on page 15. 

REGGIE COTTON, Deputy Chief - Muskogee Police Department

Reggie Cotton started working for the Muskogee Police Department in 1993. He was motivated to get into law enforcement by his older brother, who is a captain with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and an older cousin who worked for the Midwest City Police Department at the time. They both encouraged him to explore his options when he attended Central State University (now University of Central Oklahoma). He graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. The full article is located on page 15-16.

LAMONT HILL, Corporal - Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office

LaMont Hill started with the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office in 2001. He said he got into law enforcement because he grew up feeling a responsibility to protect others, whether it was other kids in the neighborhood, at school, or his own brother and sister. So when he got old enough to figure out how to make a difference in the world was when he knew that law enforcement would be his calling. The full article is located on page 16-17. 

LATEKA ALEXANDER, Trooper - Oklahoma Highway Patrol

Lateka Alexander started with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety in October 2001, as the first African-American female Trooper with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

She graduated from Midwest City High School in 1997. Alexander attended college as a student-athlete at Redlands Community College and Langston University. She earned an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice in 1999 and received a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Criminal Justice/Corrections from Langston University in 2001. The full article is located on page 18.

JERRY N. CASON, First African American OHP Chief (ret) - Oklahoma Highway Patrol Division (OHP)  - Oklahoma Department of Public Safety

Jerry Cason always wanted to be a police officer. After his military career ended, he realized that getting into law enforcement was not as easy as he envisioned. He applied to several agencies in Oklahoma, to include the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, before he was accepted. His goal was to do three years in the military and go home to Columbus, Ohio and become a police officer. However, when he applied, the city of Columbus was under a hiring freeze due to a discrimination lawsuit. Cason said because he had a family to support, he took the first opportunity that came along. The Lawton Police Department in Oklahoma was his opportunity. The full article is located on page 18-19.

To learn more about each officer, check out pages 14-19 in our latest edition of Shades Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 3.