Constable May Walker has not changed since her days as a police officer patrolling the streets of Houston. Walker continues to open doors for others through her leadership and courage. Walker was sworn-in January 2, 2005 as the first female and first African American woman Constable of Harris County. On March 1, 2016, Walker was re-elected to a fourth term in office.
For 24 years, Walker was a member of the Houston Police Department (HPD). As a young rookie, she understood that membership in this male only club came with a price. Walker would not sit still for business as usual in HPD. She confronted, challenged and filed various lawsuits in support of minorities, questioning the hiring and promotional practices of the department. Walker was part of a class action lawsuit in 1974; the lawsuit was filed on behalf of minorities in HPD and included the Houston Fire Department (HFD). The first part of the lawsuit focused on hiring practices and was settled in the ‘80’s, however, it would be years before the second part of the lawsuit would see the light of day. This part was important because it exposed the disparities in the department’s promotional system. The promotional test was suspect because of questions included on the test, and there were also serious flaws in the methodology used for selecting officers for promotion.