DATE: Friday, April 4, 1997                 TAG: 9704040656

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ANGELITA PLEMMER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: EDMOND, OKLA.                     LENGTH:   37 lines

LEWIS WARREN, PORTSMOUTH'S EX-POLICE CHIEF, DIES

Lewis C. ``Lew'' Warren, a retired Portsmouth police chief, died Tuesday in Oklahoma.

Warren, who rose through the ranks from patrolman, served as chief for nearly 10 years before retiring in 1960.

He was considered an innovative leader who was among the first in the nation to use school traffic guards and among the first to have a racially integrated police force. Warren is also credited with starting a 24-hour detective bureau, bringing female officers into the department, and starting Hampton Roads' first police K-9 Corps.

He joined the force in 1927 as a substitute patrolman and received a regular appointment in 1929. He was quickly promoted to sergeant and then captain. In 1945, he was promoted to inspector in charge of personnel. In 1950, he was appointed acting chief and later assumed the position permanently.

Illness forced him to retire from the Police Department after serving 33 years.

``The department is going to honor his memory as a former police chief,'' police spokeswoman Amber Whittaker said Thursday.

In addition to his career in law enforcement, Warren, a Portsmouth native, was widely recognized for his love of sports.

He was named Portsmouth Sportsman of the Year in 1948. In 1952, Warren received a commendation from Ford Frick, commissioner of baseball, for his involvement in the American Legion youth baseball program. He coached several sports teams.

Warren also was an enthusiastic volunteer college recruiter and athletic scout for the University of Richmond, helping to provide several athletic scholarships for area youths. KEYWORDS: DEATH OBITUARY <

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