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The city of Dallas unveiled its latest street sign toppers on Wednesday as part of its ongoing effort to honor all first responders killed in the line of duty.
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The latest toppers were added in Uptown Dallas, where DPD Officer William McDuff was murdered by two teenagers in 1896.
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McDuff was not only the first Black officer killed; he was the department’s first Black officer.
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The police and fire departments will continue honoring fallen officers with street toppers in chronological order.
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The city of Dallas unveiled its latest street sign toppers on Wednesday as part of its ongoing effort to honor all first responders killed in the line of duty.
-
The latest toppers were added in Uptown Dallas, where DPD Officer William McDuff was murdered by two teenagers in 1896.
-
McDuff was not only the first Black officer killed; he was the department’s first Black officer.
-
The police and fire departments will continue honoring fallen officers with street toppers in chronological order.
DALLAS—In 1896, the first Black police officer murdered while on duty was honored by the Dallas Police Department.
Installing street sign toppers in honor of all first responders who gave their lives is part of the city’s initiative.
What took place today:
Over time, Uptown Dallas’s Woodall Rodgers Freeway and Boll Street neighborhood has changed.
William McDuff, a Dallas police officer, lived there and was assassinated in a targeted shooting on Christmas Day in 1896. In honor of his life, new street toppers have recently been placed in the area.
The city of Dallas is placing street sign toppers at the scenes of police officer and fireman deaths in the line of duty to help ensure that fallen cops are remembered.
To commemorate Officer William McDuff, the city unveiled a sign on Wednesday.
Sgt. Sheldon Smith, head of the Dallas chapter of the National Black Police Association, stated, “Officer McDuff will always be remembered on this corner.” This was where he was truly required to serve. Police were unable to follow African Americans around the city. They possessed unique spaces.
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In addition to being the first Black cop slain, McDuff was also the first Black officer in the department.
“He had to patrol this neighborhood, which is a colored community, because he was unable to travel anywhere else in the city. White folks could not be arrested by him. When it occurred, he was giving back to his community,” Smith added. “I received training, but he didn’t. Here you go was what it was. Put this on. Act like a police officer.
The backstory
McDuff was murdered by two young people. The previous week, while serving as a deacon at a church, he had arrested the teenagers.
On Christmas Day, they proceeded to McDuff’s house, which is located at the intersection of Woodall Rodgers and Boll Street, and began rapping on the door.
“He came out,” said Michael Igo, interim chief of police in Dallas. “And that is when he was tragically killed.”
McDuff was sixty-three. Only two months had passed since he joined the Dallas Police Department.
What they’re saying:
Smith remarked, “His service was not just about duty,” “It was about setting the path going forward for other people of color and ethnicities to come to the Dallas Police Department and around the country.”
Smith believes McDuff would be pleased with the advancements he made possible.
“He would be humbled at the fact he could go anywhere in the city and police, regardless of what his race was,” he stated.
Next steps:
The two teenagers received prison terms of 10 and 25 years, respectively.
In chronological order, the police and fire agencies will continue to memorialize fallen officers with roadway toppers.
The Origin:Interviews with organizers and the unveiling event on Wednesday provided the information for this piece.
