Leroy Stover

Leroy Stover (born c. 1934) was the first African-American to serve as an officer of the Birmingham Police Department.

Stover grew up in Dallas County.

He was hired in 1966 and reported for duty on March 30 of that year. He was shunned and verbally abused by other officers. Chief Jamie Moore even assigned older personnel to guard his safety. One of his first assignments was to go undercover to investigate illegal shot houses. Someone with access to his personnel files distributed his photograph to the shot house owners beforehand in an apparent attempt to place him in danger.

Stover survived the ordeal and gradually earned promotions. He went on to complete a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at UAB. He was promoted as far as Deputy Chief before retiring from the department in 1998.

References

• Powell, Bessie Stover (2013) Leroy Stover, Birmingham, Alabama's First Black Policeman: An Inspirational Story. Xulon Press. ISBN 9781625097156