A.C. Roper, the former police chief in Birmingham, Alabama, is retiring after 42 years of service in the military.
Roper, who became the first Black person to achieve the rank of U.S Army Reserve lieutenant general, served simultaneously in the military and in civil law enforcement for more than three decades.
“Although I've served the last six years on active duty, the Army Reserve was a perfect fit since it allowed me the flexibility to pursue my civilian law enforcement career,” Roper said.
“However, I must admit I had absolutely no idea I would become the first African American to ever achieve the rank of Lieutenant General in its history. I appreciate how our younger service members find that to be inspirational.”
As a civilian, Roper served in law enforcement for more than 33 years at the Hoover Police Department and then the Birmingham Police Department, where he was named chief in 2007.
He announced in November 2017 he would retire following the election of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, who asked all department heads to reapply for their positions.
Roper said after much prayer, he and his family decided he would not reapply. He left the job officially in April 2018.
In 2021, it was announced that then-Maj. General Roper would be promoted to lieutenant general, which put him as the deputy commander of the United States Northern Command, United States Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command at Peterson Air Force…
