THE PROJECT

 Samuel Jesse “Big Sam” Battle was a giant of a man in every sense of the word. 

In his prime, the North Carolina native stood 6 feet, 2 inches tall and tipped the scales north of 250 pounds, a size that would serve him well when he became a New York City patrolman in the rough-and-tumble San Juan Hill neighborhood in 1911. 

As the first Black member of the unified NYPD, not to mention the city’s first Black parole commissioner, he was also a monumental historical figure. 

His remarkable story spans countless world-shaping events of the twentieth century, and his legacy—as the man who integrated the largest municipal police force in the United States—continues to provide essential lessons in policing in the modern era.