Who was the first black officer in the Lake Charles Police Department?

The first black officer hired by the Police Department was Ed Gobert, who joined the force in 1952.

Gobert, who also worked as an Army criminal investigator and a Los Angeles police detective, was the subject of an American Press profile in 1990.

At the time, he was 77 and had been a law enforcement officer for a half-century.

“I’ve seen a lot,” Gobert told Press writer Fran Dickey. “A lot of people just want to tote a gun. But that’s not it. You’ve got to know how to talk to people and you’ve got to love your job.”

More from that story, which appeared in the Sept. 30 edition of the paper that year:

“I always got along with everybody. Well, at first you had to work your way in and build up a reputation, which I did,” he said.

“When I first started, some blacks I had to arrest resented you — and whites, also. The blacks resented you because they thought you shouldn’t arrest them if you’re black, too. But now that’s all changed. They started hiring a bunch of blacks.

“And a policeman is a policeman, no matter of his color.”

In 1961, he received a certificate from the Commissioner of Public Health and Safety commending him for his “untiring efforts in patrolling the (Enterprise) Boulevard area and for ranking second among the uniform division in making 158 arrests during 1960, an outstanding record for the size of his beat.”

Reader sings praises of column, courtesy

The Informer on Monday answered a question on who to call to report dumping in the unincorporated parts of Calcasieu Parish — answer: the litter hotline, 493-LITR.

And the column offered information on the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury’s two solid waste drop-off sites. In response, a reader called to express his appreciation for the information.

“I read your article this morning in the American Press. I took some carpet to the parish site this morning, and I want to say thank you. It’s very clean; everybody is very courteous,” the reader said.

“Why anybody would throw anything in the ditch in Calcasieu Parish is just beyond my belief. God bless you for writing the article and have a nice day.”

The two waste sites — at 5500 B Swift Plant Road East in Lake Charles and 2915 Post Oak Road in Sulphur — are open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Monday. They’re closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

They accept tires, white goods and recyclables, including paper, plastic and aluminum.

For more information, call 721-3700.

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Online: www.cppj.net.

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The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.