Planted In Miami

On September 1, 1944, the Miami Police Department hired "The First Five" black police officers (then called patrolmen) in order to bring some level of equality to policing in the black communities.  Considering the overt racism and discrimination of our country at that time, this was a historic moment and these men paved the road for those that would come after them.  By 1950, there was 41 black officers on the force and a police precinct and courtroom was established in which to adjudicate black defendants. The building was unique as there was no other known structure in the nation that was designed, devoted to and operated as a separate station house and municipal court for blacks. Today, the Black Police Precinct & Courthouse Museum in Overtown stands as a reminder of the struggles and accomplishments of black police officers in Miami. We sat down with Terrance Cribbs-Lorrant, museum Executive Director and retired Police Lieutenant  Archie McKay, who served from 1955 until his retirement in 1980 as a D