The drug dealers and pimps with whom she interacted — and secretly recorded — did not know this. Katrina did not know that the prostitutes she met on the streets were also drug dealers and pimps.
Katrina was undercover as a prostitute and her mission was to capture pimps. She quickly found a connection with the women that she met.
Katrina says, “Being out on the streets doing undercover work alongside the young ladies, I learned that everyone has a story, and everybody’s story differs.” “But everyone comes from the same pain.”
Katrina’s pain started more than a decade ago and was a world away. Alex Irvin was an 18-year-old single mother in Brooklyn who met Katrina. He was a New York City Correction Officer. She says he had all the trappings to success, including a car, a job, and a gun. They quickly moved in together, and they had a girl.
“So, when you get into a relationship with this person it’s a way to out,” Katrina says to “CBS Saturday Morning,” Michelle Miller, a new “48 Hours” on CBS and Paramount+. “I was in survival mode.”
Katrina nearly lost her marriage to Irvin. She claims that he beat her repeatedly. Katrina claims she called 911 multiple times but that Irvin would use “the blue wall to silence” against her.
Katrina says, “He would flash this badge.” “And every single time he flashed that badge they would walk off. “… The badge was more important than my entire life.”
Katrina nearly lost her life on January 9, 1993 when, after leaving Irvin with her children and moving into a motel, Katrina said that she returned to her Long Island home in Medford for clothes. Katrina claims she fell into a trap at that point.
Katrina recalls that he pointed a gun at me and said, “This is the day your death, bitch.” “And he shot my stomach. Then he shot me another time.”
In the space of one hour and a half, the correction officer empty his service revolver twice at the mother of two.
Katrina was lying on the ground, bleeding. A friend from Irvin’s extended family came to visit unexpectedly. Katrina was picked up by a family friend and taken to the hospital. Katrina says that she was taken to surgery quickly, but doctors were unable remove six bullets from her body.
Katrina said that the doctor gave her some very grim news when she awoke.
Katrina recalls, “He came to me and told me that he had shot me 10 times and that I would never be able to walk again… and wouldn’t live a normal lifestyle.” “And he began telling me that it was something I must learn to live with.”
Katrina, despite the grim prognosis, found the strength to overcome it and made a complete recovery. Katrina was able to walk again and ended up living in a Lower East Side shelter. Katrina said that she often had to take her two daughters to a McDonald’s nearby to wash their hands.
Katrina found a way out from the darkness and decided to be what she had been looking for all those years ago, a good cop.
“Why not?” asks Katrina. Katrina asks, “Why would I not want to protect and serve?” It doesn’t matter if I don’t get it. I should still want to help others.
Katrina answered the question “What makes a good cop?” She said, “You have integrity, morals, empathy, sympathy, and respect. You treat others the same way as you would like to be treated. This is what a good cop looks like.
Katrina, a New York City Police Department officer, was hired in July 2001 and became one 1,600-plus new recruits at the NYPD Police Academy. Katrina kept her secrets from her fellow police cadets, even though it had been eight-and a half years since her horrific attack.
Katrina, who rose up the ranks of the NYPD, said she chose to not tell anyone about her past because it could hurt her career. Katrina expressed concern that NYPD officers might question her fitness to serve. “It was also another law enforcement officer who had committed a criminal offense against me. There were many layers to it, and I was uncomfortable sharing them.
Despite her fears, Katrina excelled and became a detective first grade, the NYPD’s highest investigative rank. Her career ended as an elite member in the New York City mayor’s security detail, which was the only Black woman to achieve this rank.
After 20 years on the NYPD force and 20 years of hiding her past, Katrina will retire in 2021. Katrina is now ready to share her story and unburden herself.
