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Oral history interview with Charles C. Coleman, 2015.

Creator: Coleman, Charles
Project: New York Police Department Guardians Oral History Collection.
(see all project interviews)
Phys. Desc. :Transcript 112 pages
Location: Columbia Center for Oral History
Full CLIO record >>

Biographical Note

Charles Coleman grew up in Harlem, New York and joined the New York City Police Department at age nineteen as part of the police trainee program. At age twenty-one, he was sworn in as a patrolman. During his career, he worked in the NYPD Tactical Patrol Force, the NYPD Arson Task Force, the NYPD Narcotics Division, and the Civilian Complaint Review Board among others. After 23 years on the job, he retired as a lieutenant in 1988. He became involved with the NYPD Guardians early in his career and edited the Guardians' newsletter from 1986 until 2014

Scope and Contents

Charles Coleman talks about his experiences working for New York City Police Department from the 1960s to the 1980s. He describes working undercover in the late 1960s during the Columbia University Protests of 1968, his experiences in Harlem as a member of the NYPD Narcotics Division, and his time with the NYPD Guardians Association. He speaks about the importance of having minorities in high-ranking positions within the department and the continuing efforts for equality within the NYPD. He was also on the Civilian Review Board, and comments on some of its structural changes over time

Subjects

Access Conditions

Copyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2015

Using this collection

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