Carlas Brown, the first Black woman to serve as a police officer with the Fort Worth Police Department, always had an interest in police work.
She just never thought she would break barriers when she became one.
“As time goes by, I realize that it is an honor to have been chosen. But I feel like they didn’t choose me. Somebody had to be the first and it was ordained that it was me,” Brown said.
She earned her back in 1973 and it was by chance she saw the job posting.
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“I worked for the City of Fort Worth and then when they decided to recruit minority females for the police department, I was one of the first to get the flyer. I wanted to apply because I always wanted to be in that job. It really appealed to me as a child to be a police officer,” Brown said. “At the time, women only worked in the jail. They weren’t on the streets yet. I knew I wanted to do something with the youth division, though, because I really wanted to help young people in the community.
In the seven years she worked for the department, she said it was an enjoyable experience. Working in Fort Worth, which is her hometown, meant that she was protecting people she knew and cared about.
Breaking barriers for a Black woman at this time in history wasn’t commonplace, but she said she was willing to take on the challenge.
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“I can still feel what I felt at that time when I think about it. It was a feeling of pride and just to be the first and the only one. It was an honor, but it was not always appreciated or respected,” Brown said.
She recalled only a few times while on patrol, she encountered someone being disrespectful, but that the good days outweighed the bad. Knowing now, she is part of Fort Worth history that no one can take from her.
She can only hope her history-breaking move will help others move forward, knowing that she was the first, but she, of course, won’t be the last.
