The extraordinary story of Joliet Police Detective, Maxine Boykin, badge #401.  Detective Boykin was the first Black female to join the Joliet Police Department in 1961.  Upon the urging from a female local newspaper police beat reporter who realized that there were no African American females on the Joliet Police Department, Boykin applied and was eventually hired.   She distinctly recalls spending her first four years of service working as a traffic and radio room clerk when the Joliet Police Department was located at 76 North Joliet Street.  Boykin was transferred to the Investigations Bureau shortly thereafter and she would remain there until her retirement on February 5, 2000. 

Some of her most memorable cases over her years involved a deadly fire at Washington Junior High School as well as assisting the Bolingbrook Police Department in successfully identifying three murder suspects from a photograph. 

Detective Boykin was one of eight children, and she was born and raised in the same Joliet neighborhood where she still lived her entire life.  She said her meager beginning positively shaped her into the person that she ultimately became.  A member of the Prayer Tower Ministries Church of God in Christ, Boykin believed her strong faith has taught her the importance of telling the truth and treating all people with respect.  When asked what advice she would give to younger females in law enforcement, Detective Boykin said that they should treat people with decency and listen with an open mind, additionally stating “when you treat people right, you won’t be a loser, you’ll be a winner.  We need to listen to one another. This article was in part by the Joliet Police department in recognition of Detective Boykin during International Women’s History Month, March 24, 2021.

Detective Boykin passed away at the age of 90 on November 26, 2025, in Joliet. Visitation will be held on Friday, December 12th, 2025, from 3 pm to 7 PM and on Saturday, December 13th, 2025, from 9am to 10am at the Prayer Tower Ministries Church of God in Christ, 500 Striker Ave, Joliet, IL. At 10 am a celebration of life will be held. The burial will take place after the celebration at Elmhurst Cemetery 1212 E. Washington St, Joliet, IL.

Photos from Joliet Police Department.