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Police Commissioners reinstate one of LAPD's first Black officer in push to fix '120-year-old injustice'

By KJ Hiramoto
Published  February 23, 2021 9:58pm PST
LAPD
FOX 11

Police Commissioners reinstate one of LAPD’s first Black officer

The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners voted to reinstate one of LAPD's first Black officers in the community's push to fix what the department calls a 120-year-old injustice.

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners voted to reinstate one of LAPD's first Black officers in the community's push to "fix a 120-year-old injustice."

On Tuesday, the Police Commission voted to reinstate Robert Williams Stewart, who was fired unjustly by the department. Stewart was a pioneer to the city of Los Angeles as he was the first African-American officer sworn into the department in 1886, according to LAPD.

According to a post from MyNewLA.com, Stewart was fired in 1900 after allegations of assaulting a teenage girl. Stewart was acquitted from the allegations, MyNewsLA said.

LAPD said in a tweet that Stewart's reinstatement is "one of many steps" to true reconciliation and progress.

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