William Henry Parker III, who lived from 1905 to 1966, was an American police official who served as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1950 until his death in 1966, the longest tenure of any chief in the department's history. He professionalized the department by introducing standardized academy training and more centralized policing methods, reforms that shaped American policing more broadly, but his tenure was also marked by well-documented allegations of racial discrimination and brutality against African American and Latino residents. The former LAPD headquarters, Parker Center, was named in his honor after his death.
Facts
BirthplaceLead, Lawrence County, South Dakota 1 Defining ContributionServed as Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1950 until his death in 1966 3 Connections
Associated With
William H. Parker, LAPD Chief from 1950 to 1966, is the department's most historically significant chief, credited with professionalizing and modernizing it into the model widely emulated across mid-century American policing.
Sources
1. William H. Parker (1905-1966) - Find a Grave Memorial
memorial vital record
21 Jun 1905
Birth record, paragraph 1
Lead, Lawrence County, South Dakota, USA
Death record, paragraph 1
16 Jul 1966 (aged 61)
View the Source2. Wikipedia: William H. Parker
3. Chief William H. Parker - LAPD History
biographical page
shortly after Parker was appointed Chief of the LAPD in 1950
Hometown coverage, paragraph 1
The folks back home were proud of Bill Parker, as evidenced by this article in the Deadwood Pioneer-Times shortly after Parker was appointed Chief of the LAPD in 1950.
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