Astride the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, the Baltimore County police officer cut a striking figure. The officer was a rookie, on the short side — and an African-American woman.
Twenty years ago, Gwendolyn Parrish became the first black woman on the Baltimore County police force on motorcycle patrol.
The image of her wearing "black leather motorcycle boots up to her knees" is still the way Baltimore County police chief James Johnson remembers Parrish, who died last Saturday at 56 from complications following surgery.
"It takes a strong woman to handle that big machine," Johnson said. "Gwendolyn was tough. … She was a shining example of America's best in law enforcement."
Toughness and resilience in the face of adversity came to mark Parrish, who entered the police force at a time of discord between the African-American community and Baltimore County police — and when few women were in the department.
Parrish was born in Turners Station, a predominantly African-American community in eastern Baltimore County, the 12th child in a family of 14.
"Growing up she was very sensitive and tender-hearted," said Barbara Riddix, her older sister by 10 years.
No one expected Parrish to join the police force, her sister said. Like Riddix, Parrish had started studying psychology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Her parents wanted her to go into medicine, Riddix recalled.
But in the late 1970s and early '80s, tensions were high between residents of Turners Station and what was then a predominantly white police force. Young people in Turners Station were severely punished for minor infractions, Riddix recalled, saying, "The community was moving in an anti-police direction."
Parrish decided to drop her psychology studies.
"She said: 'I'm going to join and help. I think I can become part of the solution,' " Riddix said of her sister's decision to become a police officer.
The Baltimore County police force in the 1980s, when Parrish graduated from the county police academy, was at first an unwelcoming place for a woman.
"It was very difficult to be a female officer, period," Riddix said. "You can imagine, it was this brotherhood and then here comes a female to join this fraternity."
But Parrish was not discouraged by the odds, her sister said.
"When she joined the force, she was very sensitive," Riddix said. "But that toughness was always there. It's a toughness my father instilled in us. You face adversity and never run from it."
Parrish rose through the ranks by going "toe to toe" with her male partners, Riddix said.
"Because she was small … she had difficulty maneuvering that heavy motorcycle," Riddix said. "So she spent extra time training even after the work day was over. She was there 12 to 14 hours a day."
In time, male officers came to see her as a leader, her sister said.
Parrish became not just the first African-American woman on motorcycle patrol but also the first black woman to rise to the rank of sergeant in the Baltimore County force.
Parrish, who had mainly served the Catonsville and Wilkens precincts as an officer, had been assigned to the department's records management unit since 2002.
"I had a lot of respect for her," Johnson said. "She was an exceptional role model for all officers."
Parrish's years in service leave an impact both at the police department and in Baltimore County, those who knew her say.
"She did a great amount of work developing communication with the communities we serve," Johnson said. "What she taught us will live on at the agency."
Her leadership and visibility also encouraged other minorities to join the force, County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said.
"She served as a role model to both minority candidates as well as female candidates in the police department," Kamenetz said.
Riddix says she feels Parrish's most lasting impact was in bridging the gap between the African-American and white communities in Baltimore County.
"She was able to do away with some stereotypes some of the white people in Dundalk had about the black community," Riddix said. "As a police officer, they were able to see a black person in a positive role."
"I think she had a mission," her sister continued. "Her goal was to bring unity."
In addition to Riddix, Parrish is survived by three brothers, six sisters, and many nieces and nephews. Her funeral was held Saturday at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. The family asks that donations be made to the Blue Guardians and a scholarship fund named in Parrish's honor that Baltimore County police will manage.