“Don’t just be an officer of the community, be a man of the community.”
Indian River County sheriff’s deputy Teddy Floyd remembers the words of wisdom given to him by his mentor, Deputy Dallas Yates. Yates was the first African-American to serve as a deputy for the sheriff’s office, paving the way for other black deputies to serve in law enforcement.
“Deputy Yates was a pioneer in the 1960s. Even after leaving law enforcement, he was well known throughout the community until he passed in December 2015,” Indian River County sheriff’s spokesman Maj. Eric Flowers said. “We celebrate his legacy on the first day of Black History Month.”
There are a total of 47 black deputies currently employed at the sheriff’s office, records show.
Milo Thornton, the first black captain of law enforcement operations for the agency, described Yates as a humble person whom he greatly admired. Thornton said the pioneer once told him, “I’m proud of you.”
“He was a man of few words, but when he said something, you listened,” Thornton said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for the foundation he laid that afforded me the opportunities I have today.”
Yates was hired by then sheriff Sam T. Joyce in 1962 and served Indian River County from “Car 63,” sheriffs officials said. Yates had a reputation of being a peacemaker who could deescalate situations.
In 2016, the lawman’s daughter, Dallasteen Yates, recalled her father responding to a disturbance involving two people. Dallasteen Yates said her father asked the individuals to come out to the front yard and say the Lord’s Prayer.
“He had a unique way of handling things, but the sheriff’s office never had to go back to that house,” Dallasteen Yates said in a previous statement.
1962 was a year of struggle for civil rights across the nation. That same year, Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed for his nonviolent methods to push for racial justice, including holding peaceful marches and vigils.
In Indian River County, there were struggles too.
Thornton said Yates would talk to him about his experience being the first black lawman for the agency.
Yates was only allowed to patrol in areas where minorities lived and could only arrest minorities. Yates would have to get permission from sheriff’s officials to arrest a person who was not a minority, Thornton said.
Times, along with sheriff’s policies, have changed since then, Thornton said.
“My job as a captain is to make sure deputies are familiar with every part of town. They have to provide services for everybody,” Thornton said. “(Their) job is to be diverse and help everybody, not just people they are familiar with.”
Yates left the sheriff’s office in the 1970s and created D & J Citrus Inc., a fruit harvesting and packing company, officials said. Several years later, Yates opened Yates Supermarket on the corner of 41st Street and Old Dixie Highway, which he owned into the 1980s.
Yates owned several properties in Gifford that he would rent to residents who were in need of affordable housing, officials said. Yates loved God, his family and was a “real super hero” in the community, Floyd said.
Floyd, who was hired by the sheriff’s office in 1991, said he met Yates while responding to an alarm that went off at Yates’ home. The two formed a long lasting friendship.
Floyd said Yates told him to “slow down, get to know people.” Floyd did just that, making himself known as a friendly community deputy and co-founding Every Dream Has A Price, an organization dedicated to building and repairing homes for the needy in Indian River County.
“Yates was the foundation for my law enforcement career,” said Floyd, who was the first black deputy to serve on the agency’s hostage negotiation team. “I owe a lot to him.”
Thornton said it was important for him to attend Yates funeral, which was held Jan. 9, 2016, at St. Peter’s Missionary Baptist Church, Gifford. The pioneer, who died at age 96, was buried at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Fort Pierce.
“His legacy will not soon be forgotten,” sheriff Deryl Loar said in a previous statement. “He is indeed part of our agency’s history.”