Calvin Ross (born January 9, 1949) is an American former law enforcement officer who served as Chief of Police of the City of Miami from 1991 to 1994,[1] then served as Secretary of Juvenile Justice of Florida, overseeing juvenile justice programs, and finally served as police chief of Florida A&M University from 2001 to 2012. As the maternal uncle of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, elements of his career received attention in connection with their influence on then-Judge Jackson in the process leading up to her nomination to the United States Supreme Court.[2]
Born in Overtown, Ross grew up in Liberty City, two of the poorest areas in Miami.[3] [4] He graduated from Biscayne College in Miami with a degree in criminal justice.[3]
Ross worked for the Miami police department for 23 years, beginning as a patrolman, and ultimately being named police chief in 1991.[3]
In 1992, Governor Lawton Chiles appointed Ross to a state panel on contraband forfeiture practices.[5] Ross was the only ethnic minority appointed to serve on the panel, which led to a protest from the NAACP. The governor responded by appointing two Hispanic members, but this did not alleviate dissatisfaction with the panel, given the disproportionate number of African-Americans in the juvenile justice system.[6]
In 1994, Governor Chiles named Ross "to lead a new state agency in charge of juvenile justice programs, everything from prevention and boot camps to long-term lockup".[4] The administration noted that in appointing Ross, Governor Chiles "wanted to signal a tougher approach to juvenile crime by selecting a career police officer".[3]
Ross later served for 11 years as police chief at Florida A&M University.[7]
Ross married a native Panamanian, with whom he had three children. He is a born-again Christian.[3]