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"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
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Braxton Jr., Benjamin C. "Ben"
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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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2009-01-01 |
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| Name | Benjamin C. "Ben" Braxton Jr. |
| Address |
Willingboro, New Jersey , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
Unknown
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| Contributor | Scott³ |
| Last Modifed | Scott³
Jul 25, 2010 02:08am |
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| Info | Born in Princeton, Benjamin C. Braxton Jr. was raised in Philadelphia attending the Philadelphia School District. After completing high school, he joined the US Army and served in the Far East prior to the declared conflict in Vietnam. Upon his discharge, he attended Temple University
Beginning his career in 1966, Braxton served as a Police Officer for the City of Philadelphia for 27 years rising through all ranks of the department from Police Officer to Captain. As a uniformed officer he worked in the elite Highway Patrol unit, receiving commendations for outstanding arrests, including kidnappings, robberies and sexual assaults. As a Detective, he received commendations for homicide arrests and investigations involving the “Black Mafia” receiving special commendation from the Federal Bureau of Investigation for special undercover assignments. As a Sergeant, he worked in the civil affairs arena, handling strikes, labor disputes, in conjunction with street protests and marches for all of the different social issues. Upon his promotion to Lieutenant, Braxton returned to Highway Patrol as a shift commander, supervising the officers in their patrol of the high crime areas in the City. In his additional duty as the Escort Commander, he supervised the escorts for numerous dignitaries including President Ronald Reagan, and President George W. Bush. He was assigned as Administrative Aide to the First Deputy Police Commissioner and worked with the management team for then Police Commissioner Willie Williams. Following his promotion to Captain, Braxton continued his work for the Commissioner becoming the first African American to be the Commanding Officer of the elite Highway Patrol unit. During his tenure the unit received numerous awards from various agencies for their outstanding police service.
While working for the Philadelphia Police Department, he was also a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, working in the Guard for 19 years rising to rank of Command Sergeant Major becoming only the fifth African American to ever attain that rank in the history of Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
Following his retirement from the Philadelphia Police Department, Braxton became Chief of Police in Lincoln Heights, Ohio taking a demoralized, small, department and raising their service level to standards of a truly professional department. The department went from being an ostracized department, to a department that was asked to participate in joint operations throughout the Cincinnati metropolitan area.
Braxton was then selected as the first Director of Public Safety for Willingboro Township, New Jersey. Part of his initial duties was to re-structure the department and implement new community policing tactics for the service of the nearly 36,000 residents of Willingboro. He started the bicycle patrol unit, so that the police officers of Willingboro could become more involved with the citizens, changed the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) in order that more officers would be involved in teaching children the hazards of Drugs and Alcohol and fostered more community involvement by all members of the department. The total commitment has shown that a department can be more involved in and be respected by the community it serves. The Willingboro Police Department had been voted the best Police department in Burlington County for the years of 1995 and 1996.
Braxton is very active in a variety of civic, community and fraternal organizations such as the Rotary Club of Willingboro, serving as the Centennial President for the years 2004 to 2005 and The Coalition for Multi-Cultural Understanding (a Police and Community organization designed to bring better understanding between all of diverse cultures in the Camden and Burlington counties, serving as Chairman from 1996 to 2000.) He was the Burlington County’s NAACP Freedom Fund Award winner in 1999 and the DeHugo Consistory’s Outstanding Citizen Award winner in 1997. Braxton is a member of the Willingboro’s Board of Education’s Strategic Planning committee, a part of the mentoring program of Afri-Male Institutes training programs and participated with Concerned Black Men of Burlington County in their mentoring activities for the young black males of the area.
Braxton is a member of National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Research Forum, Burlington County Chiefs of Police, Southeast Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, New Jersey Administrators Association, Airborne Law Enforcement Association and the Fraternal Order of Police. He is also a Prince Hall Mason, where he has served in many capacities.
Ben has been married to his wife Patricia for over 42 years they have two sons, Benjamin III and Darryl, and two grand-sons Jordan and Cameron. Benjamin and Patricia are members of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Burlington City, NJ.
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