An excerpt from the book, “Pensacola’s Finest,” available on Amazon
By Mike Simmons
At his retirement, Raymond Harper reminisced…he recalled a time that he was summoned to a home on a disturbance call. When he arrived and knocked on the door, Raymond heard, “Come on in.” What he saw inside wasn’t what he expected. The man was holding two pistols on two Pensacola Police officers who were in a corner with their hands up. The tension could be felt in the air. But Raymond recognized the man as an old high school buddy. As he began talking to the man, he inched closer. “You don’t want to shoot your ole buddy, do you?” He slowed approached the man until he was standing in front of the .32 pistol looking down the barrel. He said “Now, just give me the gun.” The man said, “You’re right, Raymond. Seeing how it’s you, I’ll give the gun to you.”
That was Raymond Harper. Known as the Godfather of law enforcement in West Florida. Captain Harper was a cornerstone of the panhandle’s fighting machine. He didn’t rule from a position of fear, he ruled from respect and love. Anyone who knew Raymond remember him as a peaceful, slightly overweight man who usually had a pipe in his mouth. He didn’t usually get riled, except the time that the homing pigeon flew through the open window in the Detective bureau and landed on his desk. Luckily, Sergeant James Jeffcoat – a pigeon fancier – collected the bird and got him back to the rightful owner.
Raymond was born in 1918 in Pensacola. His dad was PPD Chief E. E. Harper of the 1920s. Eventually, Chief Harper became the Police Commissioner. So, Raymond had excellent training. He grew up in law enforcement, probably hanging around the department as a child. He always knew he wanted to be a Pensacola Police officer.
As a teenager, Raymond got to know Escambia County Sheriff Hamp Gandy. As soon as Raymond turned 18, Gandy employed him with the title of “Special Deputy.” A year later, he joined the Pensacola Police, his home for 40 years. The January 2, 1941, edition of the Pensacola News Journal stated that Raymond, Ed Lawhorn, and Billy Kelson would be hired “for a six-month trial period.”
Chief Willie O’Connor gave him his first beat assignment – in the heart of downtown. Downtown? In the days before WWII, downtown Pensacola was rough. Bars, gambling houses, the red-light district, dance halls – it all happened there. The clientele were the rough and tumble men from the pine forests in the northern part of the county and the sailors from the U. S. Navy and from private ships from across the globe. Whenever one of the ruffians had too many spirits inside and didn’t like the idea of going to jail, the fight was on. No backup, no radio, it was either whip your arrestee or he whipped you. That was the “rookie school” that Raymond Harper attended.
Was Raymond rough? Yes. Was Raymond mean? No. He wasn’t a fighter, although he had to fight often. He was a peaceable man. So, he quickly learned that his best quality was his ability to talk things out. He would often reason with a drunk and have him come to jail quietly or talk down an escalating situation.
Raymond worked his way from Patrolman to Investigator to Sergeant to Motorcycle officer to Captain. But it was almost like he wasn’t progressing in his career. Rather, it was like he had always been there. He was more concerned for everyone else than he was himself. He had either trained or supervised everyone at the department from captain to patrolman. He was the rock that held the department together. As a matter of fact, he held the captain’s position for 30 years under four chiefs. He was a friend and mentor. When someone was around Raymond, they liked him. He was a friend to everybody, even children. Somewhere along the way, his influence felt by many people, he came to be known as “The Godfather.”
Raymond held two things close to his heart: the Pensacola Police Department and his family. He and his wife, Melba, lived in the 2000 block of West Romana for years until they moved to 12th Avenue and High Pine Place. Raymond began his PPD career on January 15, 1941, and retired on January 15, 1981. He died on Monday evening, December 14, 1987, at age 68. Four days later, the Pensacola News Journal featured an opinion from columnist Mark O’Brien, who described Raymond as “a classy gentleman.” A good description.
Mike
