Stafford was the 14th Black officer hired by the Dallas Police Department when he joined the force in 1960.
DALLAS — Donald Stafford, the first Black officer to achieve a rank above Lieutenant in Dallas, has died at 89.
Stafford was the 14th Black officer hired by the Dallas Police Department when he joined the force in 1960. Before joining the Dallas Police Department, Stafford served in the U.S. Air Force, according to his obituary. During his career, he served as a patrolman in the Central and Southeast Patrol Divisions, detective, then sergeant, lieutenant, captain, director and deputy chief.
Then, in 1982, he became the first Black assistant chief of police in Dallas when he was named executive assistant chief. A video shared by the department for Black History Month notes Stafford was the highest-ranking Black officer in the department for nearly his entire career.
In the video shared in 2017, Stafford reflected on his career and memorable moments, at one point describing being at Parkland Hospital when news broke that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.
He retired from the Dallas Police Department in 1991, after 31 years. The Dallas Police Department named the Donald A. Stafford Media Conference Room at the Jack Evans Police Headquarters in his honor.
“It makes me feel like I have achieved something in life for somebody else other than just myself because I know there are many Blacks and browns in that department that have been overlooked in the past,” Stafford said in the video. “It doesn’t matter how you come into this world. Only how you live in it.”
Following his tenure with the police department, Chief Stafford served for a decade as Chief Deputy Constable Bailiff for Dallas County Constable Precinct 7.
The Junior Black Academy of Arts and Letters named Stafford one of the honorees of the 1992 Dallas Black Living Legends, and he was featured in an exhibit showcasing men and women “who have made history by continuing a tradition of excellence in their careers and services to their community.”
“Chief Donald A. Stafford will be remembered not only for his significant achievements but also for the love and joy he brought to the lives of those around him. His legacy of service and strength will continue to inspire future generations,” his obituary reads.
Stafford’s funeral was on Saturday at Community Missionary Baptist Church in DeSoto.