VALHALLA, NY — At a press conference on the seizure of illegal guns Thursday at the Westchester County Police Academy, New Rochelle Police Deputy Commissioner Robert Gazzola ended his remarks to a roomful of senior law enforcement officials, the Westchester County Executive, the Westchester County District Attorney, and many others, by taking a moment to praise Alec McKenna, the police officer who shot and killed Kamal Flowers on June 5, 2020.
“On a personal note,” said Gazzola, “I’d like to thank Captain Collins Coyne of our Criminal Investigations Division, Lieutenant Detective Brian Fagan, Detective Sergeant Sean Kane and Police Officer Alec McKenna who works through the RTC with the Westchester County.”
The RTC is the Westchester County Police Department: Real-Time Crime Center in Valhalla, NY.
For the many concerned residents who have wondered whether McKenna has been reinstated and, if so, what he is doing and where, Gazzola has now answered those questions.
McKenna is assigned to work in Valhalla, not New Rochelle, presumably for his own safety.
Gazzola has received flak in the recent past honoring Alec McKenna.
Last Fall, Gazzola honored New Police Officer Alec McKenna at the NRPD Memorial & Awards Ceremony on October 6, 2021 at the Greentree Country Club. McKenna received a 2020 Commendation Award, a 2019 Commendation Award, 2019 Class C Citation and, ironically, a 2019 Lifesaving Award.
Also honored that day was Detective Michael Vaccaro whose criminal prosecution is being led by DA Mimi Rocah’s office. Vaccaro’s jury trial is scheduled for March 28. Vaccaro received a 2019 Four-Year Perfect Attendance Award and 2020 Five-Year Perfect Attendance Award, as well as two 2019 Unit Citation.
On October 27, 2021, Gazzola was confronted by a woman at a “listening tour” meeting of the New Rochelle Community-Police Partnership Board at the August E. Mascaro Unit of the Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs of New Rochelle on 7th Street in the West End of New Rochelle.
A young black woman in a red, yellow and green jacket who asked if a story she read was true, that the “Police Foundation” honored the police officer who killed Kamal Flowers. Gazzola, irritated by the question shot back, saying “the problem” with “these meetings” (CPPB Listening tour) was people “co-opting” the meetings.
Then, while shaking his head as if to deny our story was accurate (it was), Gazzola ran off a list of irrelevant objections: the awards covered 2019 and 2020, the “incident” that led to McKenna’s three awards was before McKenna shot and killed Flowers, McKenna was not present at the Awards ceremony, McKenna’s name was not mentioned at the Awards ceremony, it was not true that McKenna’s awards had anything to do with the officer-involved shooting of Flowers.
Our article said nothing about any of that.
The fact is that on three separate occasions over the past three months, Gazzola has acted to protect and defend Alec McKenna.
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New Rochelle Police Department Honors Alec McKenna (Kamal Flowers), Michael Vaccaro (Malik Fogg)
Time Running Out to Salvage New Rochelle Community-Police Partnership Board
Alec McKenna – Kamal Flowers Archive
God forbid he gives a good cop credit, right, he was cleared of any negligence in the flowers case, and you’re still grasping. He aided in recovering a firearm that killed a 16 year old, and you’re still throwing stones. You really are a bang up guy
Hang it up Cox’s. Please stop trying to make a political narrative. Mr. Flowers was nothing but a low life to society and the City of New Rochelle. Mr. Flowers was constantly in an out of the system, attached to gangs and was always preying on the innocent. I’m sure to his “family” he was a “GREAT GENTLEMAN” but who was he to society…..