Claudine Penn: Honoring Those Who Paved The Way
February 23, 2021
Claudine Penn, who was employed on September 16, 1963, as a "meter maid" and was Memphis' first African American female police officer. She was commissioned on May 31, 1968. In 1973, Claudine Penn became the first female African American sergeant and on April 7, 1995, she was promoted to 30 year Captain - the first African American female to achieve that rank. Captain Penn retired on July 8, 1995.
