A native Miamian, Thelma Sarah Gaitor Freeman Harris was born in the historic Overtown village of Miami on June 5, 1927. Her parents, the late Bruce Gaitor and Catherine Isadora Humes Knowles-Gaitor, migrated to the United States in the early 1900s from the Bahamas Islands, seeking a better life. Baptized as a young child, Thelma and her siblings, Barral, Annie, Dorothy and Betty, attended worship services at Ebenezer AME Church, and joined several youth organizers in Overtown. Her parents provided a very loving, spiritual and nurturing home environment that was filled with books to enhance their knowledge toward learning and success. During her early life, Thelma attended Phillis Wheatley Elementary and Dorsey Jr./Sr. High School. Her family moved to the Liberty City Projects when it first opened in June, 1940. Her teenage years were juggled with visits to the library, and participating in amateur shows with her two sisters, Dorothy and Betty at the famous Harlem Square. Following her graduation from Dorsey High School, she entered Florida A&M College (University), met and fell in love with her handsome sailor, Seaman Walter Freeman. Ultimately, a beautiful marriage transpired, and born to this union was a precious daughter, Brenda Joyce. With changed plans, she embarked on caring for her child, and continued her studies via extension courses in Elementary Education at Florida A&M College. Through the Public Safety Training Bureau, she earned an Associate of Arts Degree in Police Science and Criminology. She later acquired a Bachelor of Continuing Studies degree at the University of Miami, and Master of Science degree in Human Resources at Biscayne College (now St. Thomas University).

In June 1962, Thelma Harris made history when she became the first female officer in Florida. Dubbed the "Lady Behind The Badge" according to James Sawyer, a former columnist, her outstanding reputation as the First Black Female Officer, as well as the first woman to attend the Dade County Police Academy was inspiring. During her 25-year tenure with the Dade County Public Service Department (Miami Dade Police Department), she worked mostly with children, and particularly in the schools. As a police-school liaison officer, she was assigned to the North District and Hialeah, where she took pride in creating a positive image of police and their careers, and developed two nationally recognized programs, The Future Police Officers Club (FPO), and the Officer Friendly Program. The FPO was first initiated at Madison Junior High to promote better knowledge and understanding of the law. The club took field trips to the police department, courts, and the jail. To influence leadership, students received badges, earned ranks, and learned how to write incident reports. By 1971, more than 1500 students had FPO badges from 14 different junior high schools. The club was formed to strengthen ties between youth, community and the police, and would meet after school. To foster a sense of civic responsibility, students were encouraged to create their own rules and regulations.

Thelma was a pioneer member of Mt. Hermon AME Church, with more than 58 years of service. She participated in Choir #2 and served as vice president of the United Women's Missionary. "My dear Cousin Thelma was a woman of great stature and dignity," expressed her first cousin, Maud P. Newbold. "She was talented, intelligent, pretty and unpretentious, and was a 'woman for all seasons'." Preceded in death by her parents and siblings, Thelma Harris passed on July 4, 2015. She is survived by her daughter, Brenda Joyce Freeman, granddaughter, Sheri Dillard Rusley (Edward), and great-grandchildren, Briyanna, Jayce and Jairam Rusley.