Guest Column: Remembering a true Canton pioneer

By Guest

In celebration of Black History Month, Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz offers the following tribute to the late Earl Newhouse, Canton’s first African American police officer.

When I started my career with the Canton Police Department, I did not know one person on the force. After spending six years after college living in Boston, I moved out to Canton and took the police test. Luckily, I scored well and got through the hiring process, starting the academy on October 4, 1992. I graduated in early February of 1993 and was welcomed with open arms. I used to joke that I really only had to learn half the names of the people I worked with, as the department had a long history of children following the career path of their fathers. So, there were two officers for each name.

A young Officer Berkowitz is pictured with Officer Earl Newhouse in the Walgreen’s plaza.

However, I soon realized that there was only one with the last name Newhouse — or, more affectionately known by all as Earl. Like most rookies, I was assigned to the 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. shift and found myself partnered mostly with other young, eager officers. The exception being our “guardian angel,” Officer Earl Newhouse. Earl was brought up in Tennessee and enlisted in the Army. Like so many other people in the mid 60s, he was quickly shipped out to Vietnam. He returned home in 1973 and as fate would have it, he somehow ended up settling in Boston.

Embarrassingly, at the time, there had never been an African American police officer in Canton. Earl explained to me that Selectperson Sheila Cheimets (a beacon in her own right) realized the inequity in our all-white, all-male department. She championed the effort to recruit Earl to join the force. Interestingly enough, to this day, we still struggle to diversify our ranks by the constraints of being a civil service department.

I can say with certainty that in my nearly 30 years on the Canton Police Department, there was no one who was more revered in our department than Earl Newhouse. If you went out for coffee with Earl, it was at least an hour adventure. He was the most popular guy in town. Everyone knew him and he gave each and every person his undivided attention when he spoke with them. I often watched in amazement as he effortlessly asked people how someone in their family was doing by name. He knew when people had children, lost relatives, changed jobs, were up to no good, or just down on their luck. He accepted everyone for who they were individually and showered people with love, brightening their day with his outgoing personality and hardy laugh. However, he could also give you a kick in the pants if you deserved it.

We soon became great friends! The unique thing about Earl was that when you were with him, you felt like you were his only friend in the world. Yet in reality, you were one of hundreds of his “best friends.” People of all ages and backgrounds gravitated towards him. His smile was infectious, his wisdom rivaled Solomon, and if you were a young cop in a struggle, there was no one you’d rather see backing you up. I will all always treasure my time spent with Earl, whether it was trout fishing, eating Chinese food at 2 a.m. on the hood of a cruiser, or breaking up fights after closing time in the Lauderdale’s parking lot.

I will always remember the lifelong lessons he modeled for me, most that I carry with me to this day. Earl taught me how to de-escalate difficult situations before anyone had even heard of it as a police tactic. He was the master of community policing before it was en vogue. And he taught us that everyone deserved to be treated with respect and dignity, a virtue I have tried to emulate each day of my career. I’m indebted to Earl and grateful to him for his selfless service to our country and for having the courage to “be the first” in so many ways, thus making the town of Canton a true “community.”

My friend Earl left a legacy that will continue to shape the culture of our department for years to come. Officer Earl Newhouse’s skin was brown and like all good cops, his blood was navy blue!

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