Retired KCK cop spent almost half a century serving the community with respect
Larry Roland grew up in Kansas City, Kansas with a strong sense of wanting to help the people in his community. As he got older that sense of service only got stronger. Born in the heart of the city in 1953, he was raised with strong values, a commitment to community and a quiet leadership that would later shape nearly half a century in law enforcement.
Roland, a retired law enforcement official who served with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol and as Undersheriff in the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department, died July 27. He was 71.
In his 49 years of service, he held various assignments, including dispatch, traffic, the SWAT team, and even the helicopter unit. But ask the men who worked beside him, and they would say that Roland was more than a title or a rank. He was a brother.
“I looked up to him like family,” said Hector Sanjurjo, a retired trooper and close friend who spent years riding shifts and sharing stories with Roland. “Larry wasn’t just a cop. He was a mentor, a protector and one of the best men I’ve ever known.”
Their friendship began in the mid-1980s, when Sanjurjo was a young cadet fresh out of the Kansas Highway Patrol Academy. Roland was already known in law enforcement circles, especially in Kansas City, as someone who could be trusted, someone who stood out.
Over the next five years, they worked the same six-days-on, three-days-off rotation. Their bond extended beyond patrol cars and precincts. Their families grew close, their children played together and even as life took them down different paths. Sanjurjo eventually moving to Florida and then Colombia, the friendship endured.
“When I got married in 2011, Larry and his wife Olivia flew down to Florida,” he said. “He met my mom, my family. It meant the world to me.”
Another brother in law enforcement was LeVern Fields, a former Kansas City, Kansas officer who witnessed Roland’s career in the 1970s and ’80s. Fields recalls being inspired by Roland’s early successes, especially at a time when there were few Black officers in the Kansas City, Kansas department
“There were only a handful of us and even fewer in leadership,” said Fields. “But Larry he was different. He got handed responsibilities most rookies never dreamed of.”
Fields recalls Roland being assigned to a special patrol unit right after finishing the police academy, a rare move at the time.
“They gave him an unmarked car, sent him out solo. Back then, that was unheard of,” said Fields. “He didn’t just do the job, he elevated it.”
Roland’s career reads like a blueprint of excellence. After the KCKPD, he joined the Kansas Highway Patrol and eventually became an Undersheriff in Wyandotte County. His passion for youth outreach and gang prevention led him to speak at schools and train departments across the country. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, he flew to Los Angeles on his own time to work with the LAPD and Sheriff’s Department on gang identification strategies, long before that kind of cross-agency work was standard practice.
“He had a heart for young people,” said Sanjurjo. “He wasn’t just trying to arrest kids, he wanted to stop the cycle.”
Despite the accolades, the speeches, and the high-profile assignments, those closest to Roland say he was always grounded. His faith and family came first. Married to his high school sweetheart, Olivia Marcia Boyice, for nearly 50 years, he was a devoted husband, father of two daughters, godfather, and grandfather to five grandchildren.
“His family was his greatest pride,” said Sanjurjo. “Everything else came second.”
That sentiment echoed in the stories told at a recent dinner gathering of retired officers, hosted shortly after Roland’s passing. Friends who hadn’t seen each other in decades came together, sharing laughs and memories of the man who brought them all together.
“My buddy Al had us go around the table and tell a ‘Larry story,’” said Sanjurjo. “We laughed all night. Everybody had one. It was like comedy hour but all with respect and love.”
Sanjurjo, who had planned to surprise Roland on his 72nd birthday this past July, had already booked his ticket. But Roland passed away just days before the visit.
“I knew I had to be there for the funeral,” he said, his voice softening. “He wasn’t just a friend. He was family.”
Roland’s service didn’t end at his badge. He was deeply committed to his faith. He served as Chairman of the Deacon Board at Eighth Street Baptist Church and later helped lead the security ministry at Abundant Life Church. He was also a proud member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., serving as a state representative with the same passion he brought to policing.
“He lived by the Golden Rule,” said Fields. “Do unto others. That’s how he treated people, in uniform and out.”
In a world often too quick to forget those who serve quietly and humbly, Roland’s story is remembered by family, friends and colleagues as one of true leadership. His leadership was not about being the one shouting the loudest or standing in the spotlight. It was about showing up every day with purpose, lifting others up, and leaving his community better than he found it.
“He was a hell of a man,” said Sanjurjo. “And anybody who knew him will tell you the same.”
Other Remembrances
Raymond Harrison
Raymond Harrison, retired elevator operator and supervisor, died July 27, he was 82.
Harrison was born on October 22, 1942, in Ouachita County, Arkansas to Fred Harrison and Catherine Matlock. He graduated from Sparkman Training School in 1961 and moved to Kansas City after high school to live with his family.
Harrison married Mable Harrison on April 24, 1965 and they remained together for the next 61 years and raised four children.
He worked at Montgomery Wards for 25 years, starting as an elevator operator and retiring as a supervisor. Harrison later worked at KCATA Metro Bus Company for 20 years, retiring in 2007.
He is survived by his wife, Mable Harrison; his children, Leander Fitzgerald Harrison, Karenina Wright, Yolanda Crabtree and Ramania Standifer; along with a host of cousins, grandchildren and friends.
Gladys Mae Granberry
Gladys Mae Granberry, retired caterer and mother , died July 17, she was 90.
Granberry was born in Henderson, Texas to Lizzie and Claude Henson. The family left Texas and relocated to Kansas City in 1963, where she raised her family and built her career. She worked for Dr. John Growdon for over 25 years, retiring in 1996. She was a well-known caterer in Kansas City and frequently traveled to cater events until she fully retired from catering in 1998.
Granberry was a longtime member of the Shining Star Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) for over 20 years. She chaired several events and was the recipient of multiple honors such as Woman of the Year, The Star Award, and Leadership Award among others.
She is remembered by her children, Doris Tolbert; son, George Brown Jr,; siblings, Billye Tolbert, Wanda Bradley and Douglas Henson; along with a host of cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
This story was originally published August 17, 2025 at 6:02 AM.
