Joe Lomax

“Memories of the First Black Police Officer in Beloit”

The Application Process

After graduating from college in 1963, Joe applied to become a police officer at the Beloit Police Department in Beloit. At that time, the police department consisted of approximately 65 predominately Catholic white officers, only two of whom had college degrees. Many had been hired because of their military experience. The police chief conducted Joe’s initial interviews and background check, especially on his family. It was as if the chief went beyond the usual hiring process with Joe by taking time to inquire about his affiliation with black church ministers and other black people he felt might have put Joe up to applying to join the Beloit Police force. Joe passed all the related exams presented to him with flying colors. Weeks later after all the exams and background checks were completed, Joe was invited into the chief’s office. At that meeting the chief slapped Joe’s file down on his desk and asked a few questions about people who were used as references and then said, “either you’re a good guy or these are a bunch of damn good liars, because I couldn’t find anything wrong with you!” Joe left that meeting feeling a strange mix of satisfaction and insult. There was a rumor in the black community that Beloit’s current police chief had sworn that there would never be a black officer on the department as long as he was chief, and this was not the exact language he used to express his displeasure with hiring a black person. For Joe’s next meeting the chief requested that his wife, Kathryn, accompany him and be questioned as part of the hiring interview. He believed that this was the first time a wife had been included in the hiring process. Several weeks later Joe was summoned to meet the newly appointed police chief, the former chief who had sworn he’d never have a black officer on the department, had retired. The new chief assured Joe that he would have full law enforcement authority for the entire city and not be a special deputy assigned only to the black community and black functions, which was his main concern. With the word of the chief, he signed on and was hired. Joe was informed that the probation period had been extender from six months to one year. Why was the probation period changed? Nothing was going to deter him from reaching his goal of becoming a Beloit police officer.

Getting Started

Joe went through a short law enforcement training academy. Because of his excellent note taking and comprehensive notebook he had compiled, his notebook was selected to be sent to other agencies and programs as an example of the quality of the Beloit Police Academy. Joe received his uniform along with equipment and was  assigned to work all three shifts, 7-3, 3-11 and 11-7 during his probation period. His first assignment was to work day shift and walk the beat downtown. Believing this was for the purpose of exposure to the city of Beloit that we now having a uniformed black police Joe was honked at, called names, stared and sneered at by people and drivers even circled the block to confirm what they saw. He recalls that a few copper pennies were tossed his way. Most of this was done by white citizens, while a few black people smiled and shook their heads in approval.  There were other blacks that looked at him with suspicion and distain. Joe realized that he was going to have to earn approval from both sides, a challenge that remained with him throughout his first year.

Changes He Faced

It didn’t take Joe long before he discovered that officers had the discretion to give breaks if they felt they could get compliance without formally charging, ticketing or arresting a person. It was evident that the persons receiving most of the breaks were affluent, well known, influential and well connected. Few if any blacks met the criteria and received similar breaks. Joe soon became aware of the tremendous authority and power police had over citizens. Having grown up in the black community of Beloit Joe knew a lot about what went on, who played the number and where folks gambled with cards, dice or other games. After finding that there were similar activities going on in the white neighborhoods and even some officers played poker for money, Joe decided unless it happened in front of him or was related to an incident, the past would remain the past and wouldn’t deal with it. 

Wearing the uniform and becoming known as a police officer changed the way people interacted with Joe in the black community. While some thought it was about time, happy and supportive, others felt threatened and made comments like, “look at him, he thinks he’s so damn special.  I’ll tell you one thing, he better not try to arrest me.” Except for Joe’s family and very close friends his presence at gatherings or parties changed the dynamics of festive events.  Within minutes of his arrival the whole group knew that Joe the cop was there.  He didn’t feel comfortable breaking loose and having a good time, a loss that came with the job of being a Beloit Police officer.

Exposure to a Different Beloit

Having grown up in Beloit, Joe thought he knew the city pretty well. He soon found out he didn’t know all the businesses, taverns, clubs, streets, areas and the different levels of living.  He had to study the Beloit map, city directory and memorize roads, streets and lanes not only would this be part of his evaluation but calls for assistance in an officer’s area had to be responded to in a reasonable period of time. Joe’s response to calls in different areas exposed him to a range of living levels from ankle deep carpet to dirt floors. He entered sterile homes to houses where roaches crunched under his feet like peanut shells or periodically dropped from the ceiling to his uniform. He found that both the wealthy and the poor have issues requiring police intervention but additional care was taken with the former. 

Street Patrol and Inspections

Part of Joe’s responsibility of walking the beat was to check businesses, hotels, theaters and taverns in and around the downtown area. Many of these establishments, especially the taverns had never welcome or allowed a black person inside let alone a black person with authority to conduct an inspection and evaluate the operation.  Joe’s first inspection of a tavern was around 11:30 a.m., he was met with a customer saying, “hey, what the hell is he doing in here?” Fortunately, the bartender told the patron to calm down and announced that Joe was the new cop in Beloit. This type of hostile reception repeated itself many times that year and occasionally Joe felt he had to unsnap is weapon. A few months later he would have to inspect a place on his patrol beat that had been infamous for restricting access to black high school students. It was the popular white teen hangout called the “Pop House.” You can only imagine the look on the owner’s face when Joe walked in to check the place out. 

Mobile Patrol Duty

On Joe’s first day in a squad car, his assigned field training officer gave him three basic rules to follow. First, never touch his squad car steering wheel intending to drive. Second, they get coffee before the supervisor comes out. Third, we make just as much money if we do nothing as we do if we go looking for something to get involved in. These were three easy rules to remember but differed considerable from the law enforcement training that he had been taught which was to look for the unusual and/or suspicious and check it out.  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the way the field officer saw it. After riding with a number of officers, Joe was assigned to parking patrol, given a motorcycle and taught the ticketing route that had been used for years.  Joe’s first independent run of the route drew complaints from individuals and businesses along the route. He was given an assignment of ticketing vehicles parked in an alley downtown because they were in violation of the city fire ordinance.  Joe issued some twenty tickets not knowing that these vehicles had been allowed to park there for years. As expected, people called the chief and some even drove to the police department to complain about Joe giving them tickets.  Because these vehicles were in violation the chief supported his action. When it was over Joe had a feeling that he was set up by the person who assigned him the task of issuing those parking tickets. As a result, many in the downtown businesses adopted a negative attitude towards him, when they saw him walking down the block, people would run out and put money in all the meters on the entire block. This was good for customer service and the city treasury, but was an open display of their disapproval of Joe issuing tickets.

 Coping with Racism

Right from the start, some officers expressed a request not to be paired with Joe or have him as their patrol partner. Given their attitudes toward black people in Beloit, this was probably a good thing.  Joe was viewed as an intruder, there were a number of times when comments or the behavior of the white officers would slip into conversation either directly, in jokes through insinuation or through the treatment of black people. It was not uncommon for a white officer to use the n-word and then apologize to Joe and let him know he was not talking about him. Joe complained to the chief and to his credit sent out a memo for officers to cease with jokes and other antics that tended to promote and perpetuate situations. This did not eliminate the behavior but did immediately reduce the overt use of jokes and other blatant expressions in the station. There were times when officers would talk with black people in a manner similar to that of a plantation owner to a slave, regardless of the age or status of the black person.  Realistically, there were only a few special officers that earnestly shared laughter and mutual acceptance and/or respect for black citizens. Joe was able to see firsthand the relationship and influence of political and financial clout in obtaining warnings and the benefit of the doubt whereas black folks without financial means got the short end of the stick. When riding with a white officer there were times when some white folks argued that they didn’t want Joe to handle their complaint. 

Being Tested

Joe encountered several tests during his first days. While out on driving his parking route, he spotted a car that was parked in a no parking zone. Joe pulled behind it and wrote a parking ticket, just as he finished placing the ticket on the windshield, a young, well dressed white women came out and stated that was her car. She approached Joe and asked him if there wasn’t some way she could get me to take the ticket back. He advised her that since he had placed the ticket on the car she would have to take it to the station and make her appeal to have it dismissed. She smiled, started acting coy and said she would just as soon avoid that if there was some way the two of them could work it out and Joe told her there was not. As she turned and started to walk away, he realized that he had forgotten to date the ticket and called her back to put the appropriate date on the ticket. As Joe drove off he noticed the supervisor observing from his squad car about a half block ahead, he realized then that this had not happened by accident, this was a set up. 

Another test came when Joe was working second shift. There was a disturbance at a black tavern in which another squad car had already arrived at the scene. When Joe and a senior officer arrived at the bar too, the patrons were yelling and verbally challenging each other. Suddenly the all the officers looked at him like, “these are your people, why don’t you handle it?”  Joe didn’t have a clue as to what had happened before he arrived, so he said the original responders should handle it. He was summoned to the supervisor’s office and asked why he had not taken an action but the supervisor couldn’t chew Joe our because there were five officers on the scene with more seniority.  

Success?

At the end of Joe’s year of probation, the chief called him and the night shift captain to his office.  The chief personally congratulated him for successfully completing the probationary period. As the captain and an elated Joe were leaving the office the night shift captain said, “Well, I guess since the chief already said you passed probation, I guess I have to sign the certificate,” and walked away. The captain’s very negative comment immediately turned a happy occasion into one of disappointment and anger.  Joe left thinking, “I’ll just be damned!” 

Joe Lomax worked hard to become a good police officer and a specialist in traffic.  Eventually, because of his knowledge of traffic, officers with traffic questions started to rely on him for answers to their questions. He saw this as the first step towards acceptance within the Beloit Police Department.  Racial animosity, however, became even clearer two years later when Joe attended Northwestern University Traffic Institute in Evanston, Illinois.  As one of the top achievers in the class, he received verbal offers from other departments like Arizona State Patrol. At the graduation ceremony, the Beloit chief of police appeared on stage and announced a special presentation.  He then called Joe to the staged and awarded him with sergeant stripes and a promotion to supervisor. This gesture did not sit well within the department, at least two or more officers resigned because of it and some officers had vowed that they would not take orders from him even though he was their supervisor. Once again to the police chief assured them that they would take orders or would not be working for the Beloit Police Department.

My Companion During the Journey

“I cannot give enough credit to my wife, Kathryn (Byrd) Lomax, for her love, tolerance, and support during my venture into law enforcement. My struggle changed her life as well.  She was the one who had to deal with my mood swings, anger, silence, frustration, fears, and disappointment. Because I had to be ever vigilant of my behavior, confidential issues, investigation of gross incidents, and those who would have me fail, Kathy became the sanctuary I could count on in times of turbulence. In addition to being my refuge from external pressures of the job, she took care of our children and provided companionship, food, quiet, and the time I needed to be effective on the job. I cannot imagine having succeeded without her support.”

Leaving the Police Force

Joe B. Lomax left the Beloit Police Department in 1969 to help develop the Police Science/Criminal Justice program at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. In 1972, Joe earned his Master of Arts degree at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, he became the first black professor at this predominately white university. A scholarship was established in Joe’s name at UW-Platteville, the Joe Lomax Criminal Justice Scholarship, was established to honor Professor Lomax for his service in helping develop the Criminal Justice program.  He taught at the university for 38 years, during his tenure, he served as adviser to the student Criminal Justice Association, established the Criminal Justice Career Day, Internship program, CJ Advisory Board, Law Enforcement Training Academy, Employment Search Workshop, and initiated the Criminal Justice Master of Science and undergraduate online programs, Forensic Investigations, and Racial Disparity in Criminal Justice and Education Task Force.

About Joe Lomax

Joseph Ben Lomax, the son of Joseph A. and Ben Theresa Lomax, was born on April 25, 1939.  A 1957 graduate of Beloit Memorial High School, Joe excelled in academics as well as athletics. He earned major awards and letters throughout his athletic career.   

After graduating from high school, Joe continued his education in the state of Colorado at Trinidad Junior College and finished at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with his Bachelor of Science degree in 1963.  In 2016 Joe was inducted into the Beloit Memorial High School Hall of Fame. A plaque with his name is permanently placed in the school’s Hallway of Fame.

Joe and his wife Kathryn (Byrd) are the parents of four children, Yvonne, McLane, Suzanne and Michael.

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