LVMPD's First African-American Deputy Chief
Larry C. Bolden was a pioneer, a leader and a genuine man. He was born on February 16, 1937, in Las Vegas and joined the old Las Vegas Police Department in 1958, when there were only three black officers in the organization. He served Las Vegas as a police officer for 33 years before he retired in 1991.
Sheriff Jerry Keller said of him, "I learned a lot about being a police leader and a lot about being a good person from him. He set the standard. I considered him a terrific friend."
He attended Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada, and eventually earned a bachelor's degree in engineering at California State University in San Jose.
Bolden rose through the ranks of the Las Vegas Police Department by competing against his peers on open civil service examinations. He earned the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant and captain in this fashion.
Bolden graduated from the FBI National Academy in the 1970's and became one of the founding members of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) in 1976.
In 1973, the Las Vegas Police Department merged with the Clark County Sheriff's Office to form the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), headed by an elected sheriff. In 1979, Larry Bolden was appointed to the command ranks of the LVMPD by Sheriff John McCarthy. In 1982, John Moran defeated McCarthy in the general election and became Sheriff on January 2, 1983. Moran promoted Bolden to the rank of Deputy Chief where he served for nine years before his retirement.
Larry Bolden was admired and respected for his charity of heart and magnanimous nature. He was a leader in the police department, his community and his church. He served on the Board of Directors for Gorman High School from 1983 to 1992.
Chief Bolden died on Saturday, April 1, 2000, at his home in Las Vegas. He is survived by his wife, Lois, and his two children, Eric and Chris. Larry Bolden was buried on Thursday, April 6, 2000, at the Palm Valley View Cemetary, 7600 South Eastern Avenue in Las Vegas.
Some of this information was taken from an April 4, 2000, Las Vegas Sun article by Ed Koch.
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