black police woman on in the heat of the night
In the Heat of the Night (TV series) In "First Girl", Gillespie hires Christine Rankin, Sparta PD's first female black officer. Her life is tragically cut short, making room for her replacement, Luanne Corbin, played by Crystal R. Fox. Luanne would remain a prominent character throughout the rest of the series, although Crystal Fox was listed in the ending credits as a guest star until season seven where she finally appeared in the opening credits.