Louis W. Crooms, one of the first black deputies in the history of the Orange County Sheriff ’s Office, has died at age 94.
“For once a cop, always a cop,” Orange County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Louis W. Crooms wrote in his retirement letter 27 years ago.
Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jane Watrel said the sentiment was a testament to the character of the man who joined the agency more than 50 years ago as one of the first black deputies in department history.
Crooms died Aug. 7 at the age of 94, she said, calling him “an OCSO pioneer who broke down racial barriers.”
Crooms wrote the words in April of 1990, emphasizing his pride in his public service, stating he would happily help the Sheriff’s Office if he ever was called upon again, Watrel said.
He joined the agency in May of 1963 — more than a year before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned racial discrimination in hiring procedures and segregation in schools.
When Crooms started as a patrol officer, he and other black deputies were only assigned calls involving African-Americans, according to the Sheriff ’s Office.
Crooms worked in the agency’s legendary “Car 44,” the patrol car given to the agency’s handful of black deputies assigned to District 11 — which unlike other districts, was not a geographic designation, the Sentinel has reported.
The black deputies patrolled the entire county responding to calls for help from black people no matter where they were, Watrel said.
“Car 44’s legend lives on as a patrol unit whose deputies were tough but fair, and had the respect of the entire community,” the Sheriff ’s Office wrote in a social media post for Black History Month in February.
Crooms and his fellow black deputies would continue serving only black residents until former Sheriff Mel Colman ended segregated assignments in the early 1970s, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
He later served as a detective and was promoted to corporal in January 1997, leading a criminal investigation squad for eight years. He received his final title of sergeant in 1981, finishing out the rest of his career in court services.
“It is with heartfelt thanks and sincere appreciation that we honor Sgt. Crooms’ faithful service to the citizens of Orange County,” Watrel said Thursday.
Crooms was living in Tampa with his son before his death, but he will be buried in Orlando, according to Mitchell’s Funeral Home.
His memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Carter Tabernacle Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, 1 S. Cottage Hill Road.