Full Notification

The first black motorcycle officer for the Baltimore County Police force has died.

Astride the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, the Baltimore County police officer cut a striking figure. The officer was a rookie, on the short side — and an African-American woman.

Twenty years ago, Gwendolyn Parrish became the first black woman on the Baltimore County police force on motorcycle patrol.

The image of her wearing "black leather motorcycle boots up to her knees" is still the way Baltimore County police chief James Johnson remembers Parrish, who died last Saturday at 56 from complications following surgery.

"It takes a strong woman to handle that big machine," Johnson said. "Gwendolyn was tough. … She was a shining example of America's best in law enforcement."

Here is a statement from Baltimore County Police:

Sergeant Gwendolyn L. Parrish
1955-2011

The Baltimore County Police Department is mourning one of its pioneers, Sergeant Gwendolyn L. Parrish, who died unexpectedly this week.

A 31-year veteran, Parrish forged a trail for minorities in the Police Department, especially minority women.

In 1999, she became the first African American woman to achieve the rank of Sergeant. At her death, she had served in the Police Department longer than any other African American woman.

“She was a valued member of our Department, and we are deeply saddened by her passing,” said Police Chief James Johnson. “She made significant contributions to public safety over three decades, and she will certainly be missed.”

Parrish died September 3 as a result of complications from a brief illness. She was 56.

Born and raised in tiny Turner Station in eastern Baltimore County, Parrish graduated from Dunbar High School in 1973. Those closest to her say that, when she weighed her career options, she knew that she wanted to help people and make a difference. She planned to become a doctor until she met a Baltimore County Police recruiter doing outreach in her community.

At first, she dismissed the notion of being a police officer because of the racial tension between the residents of the Turner Station, a historically black neighborhood, and the police. She enrolled at University of Maryland Baltimore County and began working toward a medical career.

But at some point she reconsidered law enforcement, and decided this was her calling.

She completed training at the Baltimore County Police Academy in 1980 and embarked on a long career marked by a determination to overcome the challenges posed in her early years by her race and gender, as well as a dedication to serving our citizens.

Over the years, Parrish worked at a number of precincts, including Precinct 13/Edgemere, Precinct 12/Dundalk and Precinct 2/Woodlawn, and -- after her promotion to Sergeant in 1999 -- to Precinct 1/Wilkens.

In the early 1980s, she worked in the Community Oriented Police Enforcement Unit, (COPE), dedicated to improving the Police Department’s relations with the community. During the four years she worked with COPE, she received numerous complimentary letters of thanks for her problem-solving work in Baltimore County neighborhoods. She was the first female African American officer to successfully complete departmental motorcycle training.

Since 2002, she was assigned to the Department’s Records Management Unit. She was the Custodian of Records and Criminal Justice Information System Coordinator.

Her coworkers saw her as a professional and a mentor. They say her greatest strength was her ability to listen, to be fair and to provide mature insight and guidance.

Perhaps her greatest legacy is as a leader in the police minority community. Parrish was a founding member and former treasurer of the Blue Guardians and a state delegate of the National Black Police Association (NBPA). Parrish was a lifetime member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and the National Black Police Association, where she enthusiastically participated in international conferences and other educational activities.