HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas — The City of Harker Heights is set to have a street dedication honoring the city's first African American police officer.
Freddie Nichols, Sr. joined the Harker Heights Police Department in 1972 and rose through the ranks to become one of the department's first two detectives. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 1976 and stepped down from the department years later in 1985.
He was a member of the Central Texas Police Officers Association and the Texas Police Officers Association. Nichols held a bachelors degree from Central Texas College.
Before becoming a policeman, Nichols served in the U.S. Army for 24 years, from 1947 to 1972. He served in Korea and Vietnam and was a recipient of the Bronze Star.
Nichols was born in Mississippi in 1929 and was the father of 13 children. He died in Killeen in 1987 at the age of 57.
The street dedication will be held Wednesday, July 28 in the Cedarbrook Ridge subdivision off Stillhouse Lake Road. The ceremony is at 8 a.m. and will be at the intersection of Prospector Trail and Freddie Nichols, Sr. Street.