Officer John H. Baker Sr. was hired as the Raleigh Police Department’s first African-American police officer on December 1, 1942. World War II strained the department as the military pressed men into service. As a result, RPD needed officers and leaders to examine more diverse applicants. Due to advocacy from the African-American community Baker was hired. Officer Baker served as the Sergeant-at-Arms of the City Council before his retirement. Before joining the RPD, Baker attended Raleigh City Schools and North Carolina A & T State University. Officer Baker also previously served as a probation officer. In 1985, the City of Raleigh and the RPD dedicated the John H. Baker Police Training Center in his honor. John H. Baker Sr. and his son John H. Baker Jr, the first African-American Wake County Sheriff, were inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame in 2007.
Sources: RPD Historian Lieutenant Scott Womack
Image Provided by: Lieutenant Scott Womack