THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 21, 1995 TAG: 9507190146
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Kelvin Wright has become the first minority police officer in Chesapeake to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant.
Wright didn't plan to become a law enforcement officer. In fact, it was a stroke of bad luck that first led him to his career choice.
``In November of 1981, I was working at the General Electric factory in Suffolk. Suddenly, I was laid off and I had to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life.''
That's when Wright took a cue from his sister, Sharon Scott, who was one of the first female minority state troopers in Virginia.
``I put in a few applications with various police departments,'' he said. ``Chesapeake called first.''
Wright is obviously proud of his success with the department, but he admits that he got off to a rough start as a young recruit at the police academy.
``I had my own way of doing things, and I was young and very headstrong,'' Wright said. ``After I did poorly on my first two tests, I was in danger of getting kicked out. So I decided to change. I buckled down and studied.''
Wright's been working hard ever since. Now a 13-year veteran with the force, he was promoted to sergeant in 1992 and is a recent graduate of the Southern Police Institute, where he studied law enforcement management.
In addition, Wright found the time to go to school part-time at Tidewater Community College, where he graduated magna cum laude and received an associate's degree.
Wright is assigned to the special investigations division of the department, the division responsible for investigating vice and narcotics.
``My wife wasn't too happy when I moved to this unit,'' Wright said. ``But it's so great when you go out there and take someone who's a real problem to the community off the street.''
Wright has also been helping the department move towards a national accreditation status.
One standard that must be met is the efficiency of the department's 911 or dispatch procedures, which Wright has been overseeing.
Raised in Portsmouth, Wright and many of his family members still live in Tidewater and, as it turned out, law enforcement has become something of a family business.
Although his sister, Sharon, left the Virginia State Police for a job in education, Wright's cousin, Ladonna Wright, works as trooper near Richmond, and his brother, Michael, is a trooper with the Maryland State Police.
When he first entered the academy, Wright said there were few minority recruits, but that's changing with time. Still, Wright believes many minorities are slow to consider law enforcement as a career.
``In this area, minorities make up about 10-12 percent of the departments.'' Wright would like to see those numbers increase.
``I would encourage any minority to pursue law enforcement,'' he said. ``There's plenty of opportunity for growth, and although it's not like it's portrayed on television, it is fun.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
At 35, Lt. Kelvin Wright is the highest-ranking minority police
officer in Chesapeake. He's the fourth member of the younger
generation of Wrights to be in police work. He investigates vice and
narcotics.
by CNB