Interview: Carole Kimbrough, First Black Female Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy (video)

Interview: Carole Kimbrough, First Black Female Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy (video)
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 22, 2016)
Ferndale, MI – It was 1974 when Carole Kimbrough first took a job as a Deputy with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, working in Oakland County Jail. Over the course of two decades she moved up the ranks to Sergeant, a promotion she earned while going back to school and raising four children as a single mom in Oak Park.
In her years at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, Kimbrough helped pave the way for a more diverse, more compassionate law enforcement team. She was there for inmates, not just as a guard but as a role model and someone they could talk to about how to turn their lives around. And out on the streets she commanded in complicated situations, keeping the public safe and facing the ugliness of the world that many hope never to see.
Keeping a clear line between work and home, Sgt. Kimbrough gave her four children the room they needed to grow into themselves. “I didn’t encourage them or discourage them [from law enforcement],” she said. Her daughter Raylon Leaks-May, recently took office as the first elected African American on Ferndale City Council. Her son, Raymond does work in the insurance industry. Another daughter, Susanne is a stay at home mom caring for a child with special needs and her other daughter, Robin is a masseuse and talent scout.
Now at the age of 69 and in retirement, she enjoys taking care of her grandchildren. Her advice to parents stems from her experience as a grandmother. “Watch the grandparents and try to raise them as the grandparents because there are things that I do differently now as a grandparent, but I didn’t have the wisdom to do it them,” she said.
To other women in law enforcement, Sgt. Kimbrough would advise “A lot of female officers when they start feel they have to be competitive with the men and a lot of them take on the mannerisms [of the men]. Well, I never had to do that. I was effective at just being who I was. I had a reputation of being fair but firm, and that is what I would advise the young women: be who you are. Don’t let the position change you, change the position. Be comfortable with who you are and be effective in what you have to offer because there is a need for you as you are.”
In a 35-minute interview Sgt. Kimbrough talked about her experiences as a Deputy and as a parent, community member and person of faith. She talked about the dark side saw, and the light that she brought to the position. To hear the wisdom she had to share, check out the video below….

Save this post to PDFPrint this post