Edwards was a graduate of Barker Central High School in Barker, New York. He served in the US Marine Corps for three years during World War II and was honorably discharged as a Private First Class.
As one of three African-American patrolmen when he joined the Buffalo Police Department in 1950, Floyd J. Edwards not only had to fight discrimination in the community but in the police force as well.
Captain Edwards was the first African American to be appointed as a Lieutenant and as a Captain in the Buffalo Police Department. He was assigned to the Captain Relief Circuit after his appointment.Â
