Ward, Benjamin (1926–2002)

Early Years

Ward was born August 10, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York's African American Weeksville section. He was the 10th of 11 children of a 78-year-old White laborer father and a younger Black mother who worked as a domestic to support the family after his father died; only he and four siblings survived illnesses to reach adulthood. To help with expenses, Ward worked shining shoes and as a delivery boy. Although Ward had avoided the police, crossing the street when he saw an officer even though he had done nothing wrong, his views began to change when, at age 15, he won a city wide essay contest that awarded him the job of police commissioner for a day.

He graduated in 1944 at the top of his class from Brooklyn's Automotive Trades High School and drove a truck until he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as a military police officer and a criminal investigator in Europe for 2 years. Returning to Brooklyn, he held a series of jobs and, seeking to better himself, took numerous civil service tests, including for the New York City Police Department (NYCPD). Because his career choices were limited by his vocational degree, he began working in the Department of Sanitation. During this period, he completed courses to attend the City University of New York (CUNY), which was then tuition free for New York City residents.

Criminal Justice Career

While in college, on June 1, 1951, Ward entered the NYCPD. He had attained the third highest score of the 78,000 test takers that year. A misunderstanding while he was working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard almost ended his career before it began. Ward had refused to fraudulently punch someone else's time card, resulting in an argument that ended with his foreman calling the military police to remove him from the navy yard. A day later, arrests for extortion at the yard received local press coverage. Ward kept copies because he had argued with some of those arrested. Unknown to him, he had been charged with inciting to riot and assault on government property; a report in his personnel folder surfaced while he was attending the Police Academy, and his applicant investigation was being completed. Once this was resolved, he became the first African American patrolman assigned to Brooklyn's 80th Precinct, where he faced hostility from White residents and White colleagues. At work, he was denied a locker and forced to commute to work via public transportation in full uniform for his first three years as a patrolman.

Despite this poor reception, he continued his studies and his mastery of the civil service process. Ward passed the tests for sergeant and lieutenant quickly. Upon promotion to sergeant, he was placed in charge of a precinct's youth aid squad; he also worked in patrol and as a detective. He graduated at the top of his class from CUNY's Brooklyn College in 1960 and, although he had wanted to become a sociologist, attended Brooklyn Law School when he won a scholarship. With additional scholarships, he graduated with top honors in 1965. This led to an assignment in the NYCPD's legal bureau, where lawyer/police officers and civilian attorneys developed policies based on court decisions and served as the department's in-house legal firm.

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