In 1974, he became the sheriff’s office's first Black law enforcement officer.
Author: Jessica Clark
Updated: 7:10 PM EST March 4, 2021
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Willie Washington was a trailblazer. He was the first man black man in law enforcement in Putnam County. Wednesday night, at the age of 82, he died.
Washington has also served on the Welaka Town Council for decades.
Welaka is a tiny town in Putnam County, but Washington was big deal.
"He was such an incredible person. Larger than life," Putnam County Sheriff Gator Deloach reminisced about Washington Thursday morning.
In the 1960s, Washington was elected to the town council in Weklaka. He was not allowed into the town hall to be sworn in because of segregation laws in place at the time.