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Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow was learning how to be a police officer when he met Melvin G. Smith, who by that time had retired from the Henderson Police Department with more than 30 years of service.
Smith made an impression on Barrow, then a student in the Basic Law Enforcement Training class, during a class about arrest techniques.
The other instructors were demonstrating particular ways to subdue and arrest, Barrow recalled on Monday’s TownTalk, but at half-speed, so the students could take it all in. But Smith’s half-speed was a bit quicker, Barrow said. “I found myself face down on a mat, my arm contorted in a way it probably shouldn’t have been contorted…I found out quick who he was,” he said of Smith.
“He was nice, polite about it, but he commanded a presence,” Barrow said. Nice, but all business.
That was Capt. Melvin Smith.
“He wore the badge proud. He wore the uniform proud,” Barrow said.
The current police chief had a chance to reminisce with Smith’s daughter recently and they swapped stories about Smith, who died on July 22 at the age of 87.
“Some things I knew, some things I didn’t,” Barrow said. And just like his daughter, Barrow said he’s proud of what Smith accomplished within the department and the larger community.
“He wasn’t just the first African American police officer or the first African American chief, he was the first at every level in the police department,” Barrow said.
Smith was also the first sergeant, and after working in the department’s vice and narcotics units, he was the first lieutenant, captain, then major, then chief.
“He broke a lot of barriers throughout his career in Henderson,” Barrow said.
Smith joined the police department in 1964. Barrow, born in 1976, said the department was probably much different then than it was when he joined in 1998.
“I can’t imagine what he went through, what he dealt with… I wouldn’t even begin to try to comprehend that, but it must have been something. It was very brave of him, and I think he took on that role and took it seriously. Obvious that he did, because he was able to progress through the department and open a lot of doors for people thereafter. I just think he was something special for us.”
Barrow recalled that whenever he’d spot Smith’s blue-and-white Ford pickup driving about, it’d cause him to sit up straighter behind the wheel. Only then would he pass by and wave at the truck’s driver, he said.
Smith was appointed chief in February 1995 and championed the concept of community policing – the idea that police officers should be a positive part of their city and be approachable by community members to partner together to reduce crime.
The first Community Watch organization was established in the neighborhood where Smith raised his family. The Pinkston Street Community Watch program still meets today, Barrow said.
“Community policing was his ‘thing,’” Barrow said. “He knew everybody, everybody knew him.”
Somewhat mirror each other.
As Barrow closes in on a 30-year career with the Henderson Police Department, he said he like to think he and the former chief have a couple of things in common.
“We both started with Henderson and we’re going to end with Henderson,” Barrow said.
“I’ve never wanted to work anywhere else. I love this place. I probably share that with him a little bit, too. I know he loved this place, too.”
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9/13/1937 to 7/22/2025 (End Of Watch)
— submitted by HPD Chief Marcus Barrow on July 24, 2025**
Before answering the call to serve his community, Chief Smith answered the call to serve his country. He joined the United States Air Force in December of 1957, receiving an honorable discharged in 1961, and continuing in reserve duty until 1963.
A graduate of Henderson Institute, Class of 1957, Chief Melvin G. Smith began his historic and groundbreaking career with the Henderson Police Department on February 10, 1964, at the age of twenty-six. Chief Smith holds the distinguished and courageous honor of being the first African American police officer in the history of the Henderson Police Department.
Chief Smith swiftly rose through the ranks at the Henderson Police Department. On February 25, 1970, just six years into his service, he was promoted to Sergeant, where he led efforts in a variety of roles, including vice and narcotics investigations. His leadership and dedication were further recognized with a promotion to Lieutenant on April 14, 1976. Later that same year, on October 25, he was appointed to lead the Vice Detective Division. Continuing his upward trajectory, he was promoted to Captain on April 7, 1983, and on May 26, 1992, became the first person in the agency’s history to hold the rank of Major.
By 1995, after serving the City of Henderson for over three decades under seven different police chiefs, Melvin G. Smith was appointed Chief of Police on February 23, 1995. With this appointment, he made history once again as the first African American Chief of Police for the City of Henderson.
The words above offer only a glimpse into the life and legacy of Chief Smith. They do not begin to capture the full measure of the man, the leader, the educator, and the mentor he was, nor does it depict his greatest roles, husband and father. His personnel file is filled with commendations and praise from fellow officers, supervisors, and community members alike, but I’m positive there are plethora of accolades that never made it to his file. His resume reflects a deep commitment to continued education, training, and teaching, hallmarks of a man determined to share his knowledge with future generations.
To meet him was an honor, to have him as an instructor was a privilege, to work beside him must have been amazing. We all have our own stories and memories of Chief Smith, and I encourage everyone to share them. For me, I’ll always remember the two-tone blue and white Ford truck cruising through town, knowing that behind the wheel sat one of the greatest ever to wear the badge.
(Originally posted July 26, 2025.**)
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Davis-Royster Funeral Service obituary link
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