Columbia Center for Oral History Portal > Oral history interview with Joseph R. Richardson, 2015.Biographical NoteJoe Richardson was born the fourteenth of fifteen children on a farm in Virginia, in 1942. In 1960, he graduated high school and decided to move to New York City, where he applied to and was accepted into the New York City Police Academy. He began work as a member of the NYPD Tactical Patrol Force, and then changed positions several times, moving from the Narcotics Division to the Civilian Complaint Review Board to payroll, receiving several promotions along the way. He served a term as the Second Vice-President of the NYPD Guardians Association, and at the time of this interview, he was a retired trustee of the NYPD Guardians Association
Scope and ContentsJoe Richardson describes his transition from working on a farm in rural Virginia to working as a police officer in 1960s New York City. He talks about his decision to change departments within the police force several times, sharing the different challenges he faced both on the street as an undercover officer and a member of the Tactical Patrol Force, as well as bureaucratic challenges while working on the Civilian Complaint Review Board. He also discusses his views on the changes within the NYPD Guardians Association over the years, and how he believes it can improve in the future
SubjectsAccess ConditionsCopyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2015
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