Moses P. Cobb

 

I have been a tourist in many NYPD Precincts. I saw this monument to a fellow who hailed from the next big town south and west of Greenville, which is Kinston, North Carolina. The plaque reads:

Patrolman Moses P. Cobb. 1856-1926

Moses P. Cobb was the first African-American to serve a full career as a police officer in new York City.

Born into slavery in Kinston, North Carolina, he walked all the way to New York City in search of a better life. In 1892, Cobb joined the City of Brooklyn Police Department, six years before the consolidation of New York City. He was assigned to the 153rd Precinct in Brooklyn's 9th Ward, an area now covered by the 77th Precinct. Cobb patrolled the streets for 25 years, becoming a highly decorated police officer and a trail blazer for racial equality.