Norfolk’s first Black chief called ‘the epitome’ of law enforcement
Norfolk’s first Black police chief, Melvin High, died Thursday in Washington. He was 78.
High’s death came after he reported feeling “ill” Thursday and checked himself into hospital, according to the Prince George’s County Sheriff ’s Office in Maryland, where he served as sheriff.
High was hired to lead the Norfolk Police Department in 1993 after serving as the second-ranking police officer in Washington In 2003, he left to become police chief of the Prince George’s County Police Department in the D.C. suburbs. He was elected sheriff of Prince George’s County in 2010.
During his tenure in Norfolk, High led the introduction of community policing and brought expertise gained in D.C. recruiting Black officers, according The Virginian-Pilot reporting at the time. In 1990, Norfolk’s police department was 10.6% Black and 88.2% white, compared with 64.4% Black and 32.2% white in Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department.
When High announced his departure from Norfolk in 2003, he was praised for his strong performance, restoring the community’s trust in the police and presiding over a reduction of crime. He also led the department during a police brutality scandal involving a motorist’s death during a traffic stop — he was criticized by the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Brotherhood of Police for not standing behind his officers, The Pilot reported.
In addition to being the first Black police chief in Norfolk, he was also the first in South Hampton Roads. George C. Austin, named to lead the Newport News police department in 1975, was the region’s first African American chief.
Acting Prince George’s County Sheriff Darrin Palmer credited High with modernizing the sheriff ’s office by focusing on training, effective service and accountability. High also was instrumental in the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office retaining its accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement for the past four years.
“Sheriff High is the epitome of the law enforcement professional,” Palmer said in a statement. “He is learned, thoughtful, caring, and the consummate teacher.”
High was winding down his third and final term as the county’s sheriff.
The Norfolk Police Department tweeted condolences to High’s family Friday, highlighting his 53 years in law enforcement — “A lifetime of service.”