LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Herman Moody, the first Black man in Las Vegas to make police work his career, died Saturday at age 98, according to a news release from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Moody, who retired in 1977, became a detective with what was then the Las Vegas Police Department. He joined the force in 1946, the release said.
In a February 2022 interview with 8 News Now, Moody, a native of Leesville, Louisiana, said he joined the force after being discharged from the Navy. Since there was no police academy at the time, he taught himself how to file reports that would withstand the scrutiny of courts and acquired books on state law so he could improve his record of making good arrests.
“Moody believed in the Historic Westside and raised his family there, but he felt the
Westside had an undeserved reputation,” according to the release from Metro. “Moody insisted that most residents wanted and appreciated good police protection, and for 31 years he gave it to them.”
The release said “Moody will always be highly regarded in the community as a beacon of light and a role model for young people.”
Visitation is 10 a.m. March 9 at Mountaintop Faith Ministries, 2845 S. Lindell Road, with a funeral service to follow at 11 a.m.
