First Black Officer Honored By Miami Beach PD

MIAMI BEACH, FL — The first black officer to serve on the Miami Beach Police Department was honored on Wednesday as fellow officers dedicated a new community room in his honor. Retire Maj. James Smith passed away on Jan. 31, 2017 at the age of 87. The new community room is located at police headquarters, 1100 Washington Avenue.

Smith, who was born in Starke, Florida back in 1929, had an interesting life before joining the police department, even play semi-professional baseball for a then Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate. (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

He also delivered furniture, and worked as a guard at the Miami stockade before becoming the Miami Beach Police Department’s first African-American police officer in 1964.

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Smith was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 1971, lieutenant in 1975, and captain in 1988. He was promoted to the rank of major in 1989. He retired as patrol major in 1990.

"We will be honoring his memory and contributions to the Miami Beach Police Department by dedicating the first floor Community Room to him," Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Beach Police Department told Patch ahead of the dedication event.

Photo of Maj. James Smith courtesy of the Miami Beach Police Department