Benjamin Ward

Benjamin Ward was born on August 10, 1926 in the Weeksville section of Brooklyn, New York, one of 11 children. Among them, only he and four others survived childhood illnesses. He is most notable as the first black New York City Police Commissioner. August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Weeksville was a village founded by African-American Freedmen on Long Island, New York in the area of what is now the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department, appointed by the Mayor of New York City. ...

Military and Police experience

Drafted into the Army after graduating Brooklyn Automotive Trades High School in 1944, he served as an Military Policeman (MP) and a criminal investigator with the Army in Europe for two years. The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... It has been suggested that Gendarmerie be merged into this article or section. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ...

Ward entered the NYPD on June 1, 1951 as a patrolman, becoming the first black officer assigned to Brooklyn's 80th Precinct, where he faced resentment from both white residents and white fellow cops. He wasn't assigned a locker at the precinct, forcing him to dress at home and ride the subway to work in his uniform for three years. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... A police officer is a person who works for a police force. ... South Ferry station 125th Street station The New York City Subway is a large rapid transit system in New York City, New York, United States. ...

During the next 15 years in uniform, he rose through the ranks to Lieutenant, serving in the Patrol Division, Juvenile Aide Division, Detective Division, and Legal Bureau. His rise was aided, in part, by his after-work studies at Brooklyn College and Brooklyn Law School that earned him undergraduate and law degrees -- invariably with top honors. Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ... Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York. ... Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a law school located in downtown Brooklyn, New York. ...

He eventually served as special legal counsel to Police Commissioner Howard R. Leary. Ben left the uniformed ranks to become executive director of NYPD's Civilian Complaint Review Board in 1966. The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department, appointed by the Mayor of New York City. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...

Two years later he was named a Deputy Police Commissioner, serving as chief hearing officer in all departmental disciplinary matters.

Later he became Deputy Commissioner of Community Affairs with responsibilities for the Youth Aid Division and the Auxiliary Forces Section.

Career in New York City and State Government

Mayor John V. Lindsay designated Ward as Traffic Commissioner in 1973. Under his leadership, uniformed traffic controllers from his agency took on street duties, thereby freeing hundreds of police officers from traffic direction posts. The following year he headed up what is now known as the Criminal Justice Agency that performs a bail risk evaluations. John Vliet Lindsay (November 24, 1921–December 19, 2000) was an American politician who served as a Congressman (1959-1966) and mayor of New York City (1966-1973). ... The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT or DOT) is responsible for the management of much of New York Citys transportation infrastructure. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

In 1975, Governor Hugh L. Carey named him New York State Department of Correctional Services Commissioner, heading one of the nation's largest prisons systems, with 20,000 inmates, 20,000 parolees and 12,000 employees. He was the first African American to hold that position. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Hugh Leo Carey (born April 11, 1919) was the Governor of New York between 1975 and 1983. ... DOCS logo. ...

Three years later, Mayor Edward I. Koch named him to the first of three posts in his administration: Chief of the New York City Housing Authority Police. It was the fifth largest police department in the state, providing protection to 600,000 in the HA's 254 developments. Ed Koch, a Democrat, speaks at the 2004 Republican National Convention in support of the re-election of President George W. Bush. ... The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) provides housing for low and moderate income residents throughout the five boroughs of New York City. ...

On August 13, 1979, he was designated to run the New York City Correction Department, heading the largest municipal detention system in the world. He served as commissioner until December 31, 1983, when he accepted an appointment by Koch as New York City Police Commissioner. August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... The New York City Department of Correction is responsible for over 13,000 of New York Citys inmantes and houses the majority of them in the infamous Rikers Island. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Ward was sworn in by Mayor Koch as the city’s 34th Police Commissioner on January 5, 1984. He was the first African American to hold that position. Ward oversaw the nation's largest police department during the rise of the crack cocaine epidemic and a sharp increase in crime and murder. January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Cocaine is a crystalline alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ...

It was also a period of racial unrest, marked by the shooting of four black youths by white subway gunman Bernhard Goetz, the police shooting of an elderly black woman, the death of a black man chased by a white gang onto a highway, and the fatal beating of a black youth by a white mob. Bernhard Hugo Goetz or Bernard Goetz (born 1947 in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York) was dubbed by the New York press as the Subway Vigilante. ... Eleanor Bumpurs (August 22, 1918 - October 29, 1984) was an African-American grandmother who was shot dead by police trying to evict her from her home on October 29, 1984. ... Michael Griffith (1963 – 1986) was a 23-year old African-American born in Trinidad and lived in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, who was killed after being hit by a car in Howard Beach, Queens, New York, on December 20, 1986. ... Yusef Hawkins (also spelled as Yusuf Hawkins) was a 16-year-old African American who was killed by a white youth, on August 23, 1989, in Bensonhurst, a largely Italian American neighborhood in the new York City borough of Brooklyn. ...

Life after retirement

Ward retired as NYC Police Commissioner on October 22, 1989. After his retirement, he remained active, teaching and serving on various boards until failing health forced him to curtail such endeavors. October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

He served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, an Adjunct Professor of Corrections at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and an adjunct professor of the Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. The John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a prestigious criminal justice college in New York City which has about 12,000 FTE (Full Time Enrollment) students, including traditional, pre-career undergraduate students and those pursuing master’s degrees in several disciplines. ... Hudson Valley Community College, a SUNY associated two-year college, is located in Troy, New York in Rensselaer County. ... Looking west down Broadway at downtown Troy. ...

Death

Benjamin Ward passed away on June 10, 2002 at the age of 75. He was survived by his wife, the former Olivia Irene Tucker, a retired public school principal; three daughters, Jacquelyn Ward, Margie Ward-Lewis and Mary Ward; two sons, Benjamin Jr. and Gregory; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... The New York City Department of Education is a department of the city of New York which runs almost all of the citys public schools. ... A principal is: The head of an educational institution. ...

References

• Benjamin Ward, New York's first Black police commissioner, dies - Obituary - July 8, 2002