Tulsa’s first black female officer getting recognition 30 years after her death
It’s been a long time coming for Sayyid Jami, who spent seven years trying to get his grandmother recognized as Tulsa’s first black female police officer.
Now that the late Mary B. Horn is days away from being inducted into the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Hall of Fame, Jami is overwhelmed with joy.
“This is really cool,” he said. “I’m on a high right now. I’m thankful, and she would be proud.”
Both will join the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Hall of Fame during another ceremony Saturday in Oklahoma City.
The road to Horn’s recognition as the TPD’s first black female officer wasn’t easy. Jami, who lives in California, began reaching out to the Governor’s Office and senators and an assortment of other Oklahoma officials in 2010 in an attempt to get her accomplishments acknowledged.
Jami said he received almost no response. He did get a letter from the Police Department stating that while Horn most likely was its first black female officer, there were no records verifying the claim.
“It was disheartening,” Jami said. “But I’m the type of person that when I know I’m right about something, I continue to follow through with it.”
Eventually a family friend got involved and enlisted the help of a local historian to research Horn’s past. After months of investigating, they were able to prove the distinction. They presented their findings to Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado and requested he nominate Horn for the hall of fame.
Regalado obliged “Mary Horn was a trailblazer for women and African-Americans in law enforcement,” the sheriff said during Thursday’s ceremony. “Officer Mary Horn was truly an inspiration to us all.”
Jami flew to Oklahoma this week to attend both ceremonies and embrace the appreciation for his grandmother’s legacy that he had worked so hard on documenting and garnering official attention. He thanked Regalado and Police Chief Chuck Jordan for “helping to bring her back to life.”
Horn was 42 when she joined Tulsa’s police force in 1939. She served there 23 years, during which time she patrolled the Greenwood District and helped crack down on prostitution, gambling and illegal liquor sales.
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