Have you ever heard of Capt. Ansley Reed? You should. He is known as Monroe’s first black police officer.
Mr. Reed grew up in Caldwell Parish and attended Southern University. During WWII he served in the South Pacific. After the war he studied at Robinson Business College in Monroe where he earned a degree in business.
Mr. Reed worked as an accountant for a while, then was co-partner in a taxi cab business. Mr. Reed saw the brutality of white police officers in the local force and decided to help change that. In 1953, he passed the Civil Service examination and in September of that year, he became Monroe’s first black police officer.
Mr. Reed was not sent to a police academy. He was not given a uniform or a gun. He was not allowed to arrest or investigate a crime if it involved a white man. He was not allowed to come into the police station and was ordered to report to his 14th street beat directly from his home. The local community he protected rallied around him. Funds were raised to buy him a gun and January the Tailor made his uniform identical to the other Monroe officers. He became the pride of the Monroe black community and served with distinction.
In October 1968 Mr. Reed was promoted to Sergeant, although he had been getting Sergeant’s pay for years to keep him from taking the test. He then set his eyes on Captain. After careful studying at the local library, on April 1, 1972 he was finally promoted. Captain Ansley Reed retired from the force in September 1973 after serving for twenty years.
See the Monroe Free Press, May 30, 1975, Page 3 for more info!
Ouachita Parish History Tidbits 