Denver Police Department Honors its First 2 African American Division Chiefs
Division Chiefs Simpson and Gordon helped open the door to diversity
Casey Simpson is a trailblazer. He was the first African-American to be appointed to the position of Division Chief for the Denver Police Department. “I don’t know if I felt any personal accomplishment by me blazing a trail because it had to be blazed eventually,” Simpson said.
Simpson started his career in 1956 and was one of nine black officers in the department at that time. “I was shocked when I faced a lot of issues that I did face,” Simpson said. “It took a while to get adjusted to living as a police officer.” Gordon was named Division Chief in 1992. For more on this story, click here.
