Alton C. Parker (July 3, 1907 – February 28, 1989) was a Canadian police officer who became the first

black Canadian Black Canadians () are Canadians of full or partial Afro-Caribbean or sub-Saharan African descent. Black Canadian settlement and immigration patterns can be categorized into two distinct groups. The majority of Black Canadians are descendants ...

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

. A native of

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

, he entered the

Windsor Police Service The Windsor Police Service is the municipal law enforcement agency in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It succeeded the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment. Since 2019, the Windsor Police Service has also provided contract policing services for the nearby ...

in September 1942 as a

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

. After a 28-year career and various volunteer positions, he received several honours, including the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

Early life

Alton C. Parker was born in

, on July 3, 1907, where he remained for the rest of his life. A mechanic by trade, he worked as a foreman at a used car dealership. He was also president of the Central Citizens Association, a group organized to (among other things) employ black people in Windsor's public services. He was the most qualified candidate to enter the police force.

Career

On September 1, 1942, Parker was hired by the

as a

. His appointment met some resistance before his professional demeanor swayed those fellow officers. On July 28, 1951, he was promoted by Chief Constable Farrow to become Canada's first black

. He was a founding member of Apartment Living for Physically Handicapped Adults (ALPHA). In the 1960s, he became a director of

Goodwill Industries Goodwill Industries International Inc., or simply Goodwill, is an American business that provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who face barriers in their employment. Goodwill Indust ...

and hosted an annual children's event at Broadhead Park, a site renamed in his honor in 1976.

Later life and death

Parker retired on December 30, 1970. In 1976, he was appointed to the

.Order of Canada: Alton C. Parker, C.M., LL.D.
Archives of the Governor General of Canada. He also received the

Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship The Queen Elizabeth II Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship is a provincial decoration awarded in the Canadian province of Ontario. The province's second-highest honour (ranking beneath the Order of Ontario), it recognizes individuals whose extrao ...

and the

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal () is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is physically identical in all realms where it was awarded, save for Canada ...

. Parker died on February 28, 1989, aged 81; his funeral service attracted such a large crowd that loudspeakers and radio carried the speeches to many listeners.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Alton C. 1907 births 1989 deaths Black Canadian people Canadian police officers People from Windsor, Ontario Members of the Order of Canada