Renault Robinson
| Renault Robinson | |
|---|---|
| Chicago Police Department | |
| Born September 8, 1942[1] | |
| Place of birth | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Service branch | United States |
| Years of service | 1964–1983 |
| Rank | Sworn in as an officer - 1964 |
| Other work | chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority |
Renault Robinson is a former Chicago police officer and chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority under the leadership of former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington.
Biography
Robinson joined the Chicago Police Department in 1964, and in 1968 Robinson co-founded the Chicago Police Department's Afro-American Patrolman's League (Later known as the Afro American Police League and now known as the African American Police League), an organization aimed at improving police service to the black community and at getting more blacks into policymaking positions in the department.[1][2] The formation of the AAPL led to an increase in minority officers and civil rights lawsuits against the CPD for the discrimination of African American and Hispanic citizens. It also was a costly move for Robinson. Before the founding of the AAPL, Robinson was considered a model policeman with a 97% efficiency rating and had won more than 50 citations for outstanding police work.[2] After the founding of the AAPL, Robinson and other members were often suspended, brought up on charges for minor infractions, reassigned to less desirable positions and threatened with dismissal from the police force as the CPD hoped to dismantle the organization. Robinson nevertheless remained on the force and spoke out against racism in the police department criticizing events such as a raid that resulted in the murder of Black Panther Party member Fred Hampton [3] and a dragnet operation ran by infamous Chicago police commander Jon Burge that resulted in a military-like occupation of Chicago's South Side.[4] Despite the hardships in the department Robinson however was backed by Harold Washington, a member of the Illinois House of Representatives who would become Chicago's first African American mayor. Upon Washington's election to mayor in 1983, Robinson resigned from the police force and was appointed to chair the Chicago Housing Authority.[1] In 1989, Robinson pursued a business career in temporary staffing and became vice president of ASI Personnel Service before founding his own agency, Renault Robinson Staffing, in 2000.[1]