Rhoda Thomas, the first Black woman in the Camden Police Department and community advocate, has died at 67
Of all her policing experiences, patrolling the neighborhoods and engaging with residents was her favorite. “That was my calling,” she said.
Rhoda Thomas, 67, of Williamstown, retired corporal and the first Black woman to serve in the Camden Police Department, former director of Camden’s Office of Prevention and Reentry, onetime substitute schoolteacher, and innovative social services advocate, died Thursday, Sept. 26, of heart disease at her home.
Ms. Thomas, in 1986, became the first Black woman and second woman ever to serve in the Camden Police Department, now the Camden County Police Department. She spent 25 years on foot and bicycle patrols, with the vice squad, and as plainclothes security for Camden Mayor Dana Redd.
She worked beats in the Centerville and Fairview neighborhoods of Camden and told The Inquirer in 2011 that she had to outwork her colleagues at first to earn the same respect. “It was not a good time,” she said.
But she persevered and found that, of all her policing experiences, patrolling the neighborhoods and engaging with residents was her favorite. “That was my calling,” she said. Her brother Diamond said: “People gravitated toward her. She was always for the people.”
For 24 years, Ms. Thomas chased drug dealers, broke up prostitution rings, tangled with gang members, confronted domestic disputes, and quelled all kinds of disturbances across Camden. “She was easy to talk to,” her brother said, ”and she was eager to help people.”
Her son, Damir Hart, said: “She was connected to the community because she said everything was ‘of the people.’” Redd told The Inquirer in 2011: “If anyone could clear a corner, Rhoda could.” Ms. Thomas said in 2011: “I can’t stand nonsense.”
She worked in plain clothes for a year on Redd’s security detail, keeping an eye on things during the mayor’s meetings, news conferences, and public appearances. She retired from the police department in 2011, and Redd immediately named her the first director of Camden’s new Office of Prevention and Reentry.
As director, Ms. Thomas coordinated housing, employment, and support programs for former prison inmates as they rejoined the Camden community. She made it a point to meet with clients and gave special attention to young people at risk.
“There is no ‘We can’t do anything about it,’” she told the Courier-Post in 2011. “We are going to do it.” Her brother said: “She was the make-it-happen type.”
Her colleagues in the police department called her a “trailblazer” and “an inspiration” in a recent tribute, and “a no-nonsense officer who commanded respect and who was truly committed to fighting crime and making her hometown a better place.”
Former Camden police officer and longtime public servant Gilbert L. Wilson told The Inquirer in 2011: “A lot of guys would rather have her as a partner than another guy. People respected her.”
She rose to the rank of corporal and acting sergeant in 2008, and colleagues said she was a mentor and role model for other women. She worked as a private security officer after she retired from the department and served on the Camden City Mayor’s Youth Council and with other community groups.
She earned a Women of Purpose Award from Camden officials in 2011 for advocating “equity, diversity, and inclusion” in city organizations. She told the Courier-Post: “I want it done. I want it done now, and I want it done correctly and precisely.” A friend said in an online tribute: “Her legacy will continue to uplift and inspire our community for generations to come.”
Rhoda Thomas was born Sept. 19, 1957, in North Camden. The oldest of five children, she spent much of her time as a girl at her grandmother’s home in Centerville. She played basketball, ran track, marched with the color guard, and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1976.
» READ MORE: Ms. Thomas is named to run prisoner reentry program
Her uncles were police officers, and Ms. Thomas earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice at Camden County College. She worked as a substitute teacher in Camden for a few years before entering the Police Academy in 1985.
She met Ronald Hart in high school, and they had son Damir after they graduated. She later married and divorced Yvonne McNair.
Off the beat, Ms. Thomas enjoyed photography and shopping, and her son said she turned his old bedroom into her own cozy closet. She liked to walk the land she owned in South Jersey and was thinking about starting a nonprofit there to help people.
She delivered holiday food baskets to residents for years and enjoyed parties and barbecues with family and friends. When her brothers were young, she gave them plenty of money and advice.
“She always had it together,” said her brother Diamond. “She was the rock of the family. Everybody has a story about her.” Her son said: “She was my real-life hero who I could see and touch.”
In addition to her son, brother, and former wife, Ms. Thomas is survived by her brother Wayne and other relatives. A brother and a sister died earlier.
A celebration of her life was held Oct. 5.