In 1979, Melvin Russell joined the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), and in 1981 he became the first African-American to graduate as class valedictorian from the BPD Academy. He went on to have a career that comprised seven years of patrol and twenty years in undercover narcotics enforcement before becoming a district commander and retiring in 2019 as Chief of the Community Division and the acting deputy commissioner of administration. As such, he brings a unique perspective on the matter of effective and honorable policing in America and the many challenges policing faces.