BATON ROUGE, La. — Alfred Cummings, one of the Baton Rouge Police Department's first black officers, died Friday morning. He was 73.
Born in St. Francisville in 1935, Cummings served in the U.S. Army before joining the Police Department, said his son, Darrell Cummings, of Baton Rouge.
Alfred Cummings graduated from the Police Department's 12th basic academy in April 1965, department spokesman Cpl. L'Jean McKneely said.
Darrell Cummings said his father would speak about the racism he encountered as an officer.
"I remember him saying it was challenging because they didn't want you arresting white people," Cummings said. "You could call another white officer to arrest them but they didn't want you arresting them."
Alfred Cummings, who played football and basketball at Capitol High School, would later serve as a truancy officer at his alma mater, his son said.
Cummings was dismissed from the police force in 1974, Advocate archives show.
Cummings went on to enter the nightclub business, running Tuxedo Junction on Greenwell Springs Road and Tiffany's at Choctaw Drive and North Acadian Thruway, his son said.
Survivors include daughters, Sharon Harris and Bonita Cummings Hall, both of Baton Rouge, and Zelda Cummings, of Dallas.
The funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Desselle's Funeral Home, 263 Eddie Robinson Sr. Drive.
