Detroit's first woman patrol officer reflects on incredible legacy

MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Detroit Police Department's first woman patrol officer is reflecting on her legacy.

The backstory:

Retired Detroit Police Sgt. Shirley Joyner is now 73 years old. She and her daughter Kyra took a walk down memory lane as it had been almost 17 years since Joyner retired from the Detroit Police Department and, almost 50 years since, she became the first woman on patrol in the city.

"I'm glad God gave it to me—I'm glad God gave it to me—it was a hard road because I was Black and female—everybody did not like me—as a matter of fact, most of them didn't," she said.

But Mayor Coleman A. Young was determined to have a police force that reflected the people it served.

"The community was diverse, and you needed a diverse police force in order to do the work," she said.

She was assigned to Midnights in October 1974 and still graduated from Wayne State in 1975.

Dig deeper:

Even then, she still continued to raise her children and fight crime, but she took her service seriously. To her, it was personal.

"After the riots, they closed down a lot of rec centers—a lot, so the young people needed something to do—they needed an organized activity," she said. "They're in the community—I'm in the community, why not—I mean it's a perfect fit."

Local perspective:

Whether it was turkey bingo for seniors or programs for children, she was able to inspire other women to protect and serve.

"Young women come up and ask me about the job and I would tell them about the job. I had people come on the job after they got on there, they would come and say thank you because we see what you've done, and we know we can do it, and we're here," she said.

It sure wasn't easy for women like Sgt. Joyner. 

FOX 2's own Al Allen reported on the challenges women faced on the force many times from the men they work with.

It was a title, a badge of honor, Shirley Joyner fought for and earned.

"I had to work to earn my way, and I was determined not to allow them to dissuade me or discourage me—and every day I would go to work I would say God go before me and make my way clear, and every day he did," she said.