Remembering Richmond’s first black police officers // Lillian Randolph, center, accepts a bouquet of roses Saturday during a dinner commemorating the 70th anniversary of the hiring of the first African-American police officers in Richmond.
Mrs. Randolph’s late husband, Frank S. Randolph, was among the four first officers hired by the city and remembered at the event at a Downtown hotel attended by 150 people.
The other trailblazing officers honored were John W. Vann, Doctor P. Day and Howard T. Braxton. They were hired May 1, 1946.
Richmond Police ChiefAlfred Durham gave the keynote address, while Mayor Dwight C. Jones offered remarks. With Mrs. Randolph are her daughters, Patricia Randolph Myers, left, and Renda Randolph, right.
The event was organized by Richmond Police Sgt. Carol D. Adams, second from left, and sponsored by the Richmond Black Police Officers Association and Engine Company #9.
