Crime Fighting in Specialized Units

When Kenneth was early in his tenure as a captain, he was offered an opportunity to become the commanding officer of the specialized units in Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, which is the overhead command for the 13 precincts that encompass the southern half of the Borough of Brooklyn. This unit consisted of three teams, the anti-crime team (a plainclothes unit tasked with addressing violent street crime and targeting recidivists), the auto-larceny team (conducted short-term investigations and addressed car-related theft), and the evidence collection team (the local unit which processed crime scenes for certain categories of crime that did not qualify for the citywide crime scene unit). Reducing crime was his top priority, as these units were considered "special forces" that were dispatched to assist precincts when they were unable to address a problematic condition with their own personnel.

During his time commanding this unit, Ken encountered many challenges. There were several officer involved shootings (one in which a 13-year-old boy was tragically killed after he pointed a loaded firearm at officers). In addition, there was a federal lawsuit and significant media attention regarding the NYPD’s use of a police tactic called stop, question, and frisk and its disproportionate use affecting persons of color. His challenge as a police leader was to educate, mentor, and motivate officers how to properly use this tactic within the bounds of the law and to comply with department policy. Kenneth promoted intelligence-led policing, regularly communicated with his officers, and struck a careful balance between supervising them in the field and empowering them to make appropriate decisions.