History of N.O.R.S.T.

The Vision

The initial visionary impetus for the formation of N.O.R.S.T., was set into motion by twenty-four retired State Troopers, with over 100 years of combined police experience from the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, who met on March 29, 2008, at the Regency Hotel in Jackson, Mississippi.

Being First - Law Enforcement Pioneers

Many of these State Troopers, who met, broke down an array of long-standing racial barriers in their respective state law enforcement agencies. Often, they were the first African Americans hired as State Troopers by their agencies and excelled to be honored as the first African Americans to attain command and executive level ranks within their State Trooper agencies.

Improving Communities and Policing

Although some of the initial N.O.R.S.T. members belonged to other state trooper organizations, the founding members of N.O.R.S.T. envisioned more expansive, bolder and transformative possibilities of service and education for their members by creating a national retired State Troopers organization focused on principles of:

• Improving local communities across the nation through visible involvement of retired and active law enforcement officers in community activities; and
• Contributing to the increased professionalism of active State Troopers across the nation through member education and training opportunities; and
• Building upon the prior challenges, successes and wisdom of a cross-section of retired and active State Troopers across the nation; and
• Acknowledging the historical significance of the accomplishments of many N.O.R.S.T members who are history-making men and women pioneers in their respective states and departments; and
• Building a collective network of experienced and reliable law enforcement professionals with a common identity of purpose to serve as current and future role-models of success, mentors and institutional knowledge repositories to help positively improve the national police-community relations landscape.

Optimistic Leadership

As the essence and positive impact of N.O.R.S.T. activities grew and evolved in many forms under the progressive leadership of Charles E. Patterson, the organization, according to Patterson, optimistically resolved to have a greater presence among the “pantheon of world-class law enforcement organization[s].”

Dynamic Transformation

In 2015, under the visionary leadership of David Washington, N.O.R.S.T. took the final transformative step to complement its essence by forming a national 501 (C)(3) organization to carry out N.O.R.S.T.’s dynamic, forward-thinking initiatives necessary for building effective community-police relations; educating active and retired state troopers; preserving the crucial cultural history of N.O.R.S.T. members and creating a better and safer world of trust and service for citizens and law enforcement officers to live in and thrive.

N.O.R.S.T. List of Initial Visionaries

Listed below are the names and states of the visionary State Trooper Retirees who attended the historical March 29, 2008 meeting in Jackson, Mississippi:

• Larry Williams
  Alabama
• Johnny L. Isaac
  Alabama
• Andrew Jones
  Arkansas
• Frank Tappin
  Arkansas
• Odell Thompson, Jr
  Illinois
• Robert Milligan
  Kentucky
• William Douglass, Jr
  Louisiana
• Patrick LaSalle
  Louisiana
• Donald R. Shropshire
  Louisiana
• Tyrone J. White
  Louisiana
• Donald Givens
  Louisiana
• Robert Guibeaux
  Louisiana
• Sammie L. Kitchen
  Louisiana
• Wilbert Sanders
  Louisiana
• David Washington
  Maryland
• Floyd Givens
  Michigan
• Charles Patterson
  Mississippi
• Lula R. Ward
  Mississippi
• R.O. Williams
  Mississippi
• Charles Jackson
  Missouri
• Henry L. Johnson
  Missouri
• Willie Thomas
  Missouri
• Janie Hankerson
  New Jersey
• Art L. Williams
  Pennsylvania

“Be First, Be N.O.R.S.T.”