Cop of the Month Susan McKenna receives the honor from Captain David Miller, commander of the 10th Precinct.
BY SCOTT STIFFLER | It’s a reality check cops like to deploy when the public expects a crime to be solved with all the action, and speed, that unfolds on the big screen: “Things only happen like that in the movies.” Well, most of the time. Every once in a while, though, life imitates art — and that deserves recognition. An awards ceremony, sans red carpet, was held as part of March 26’s 10th Precinct Community Council Meeting. Commander David Miller called Officer Susan McKenna to the podium after unspooling a narrative worthy of a hardboiled Hollywood plot.
On February 1, Officer McKenna and her partner were called to Eighth Ave., btw. W. 26th & 27th Sts. — where three men had just robbed a woman, at knifepoint. The victim accompanied the officers on a ride around the neighborhood, in an attempt to identify them.
Playing a hunch, McKenna drove to Rainbow Station (Eighth Ave., btw. W. 20th & 21st Sts.) — where, earlier, she observed individuals matching the descriptions provided by the victim. Two of those men soon exited the store, and were arrested.
Several days later, with the third perp still at large, McKenna returned to Rainbow Station and spoke with the clerk, who said the wanted man was in the back of the store at that very moment. As McKenna approached him, he made a run for the front door — sprinting down the aisle and knocking over merchandise in an attempt to slow her down. She dodged the obstacles, overcame him and made the arrest…just like in the movies.
In a final scene straight out of central casting, McKenna’s mother and father (both retired from the police department) beamed with pride as their daughter received accolades from her commander, applause from the crowd and citations of recognition from local electeds.
