By Kyle Lawson
Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
NEW YORK — NYPD Inspector Tania Kinsella, commander of the 120th Precinct on Staten Island, says she makes it a point to step out of her office at least four times a day.
“I help out with anyone who comes to the precinct” with a problem or a complaint, she said. “I want [other officers] to see how I deal with people — with patience.”
In 2020, at the height of overlapping crises across New York City, Kinsella was appointed head of the St. George-based precinct, one that over the course of several decades has seen both high crime rates and a high number of substantiated civilian complaints against officers. A former member of the Community Affairs unit, Kinsella has approached the role with what she described as an equal share of “love” for her officers and the community she serves.
“It’s a tight-knit community,” she said. “My goal is to make the 120th Precinct welcoming for everybody, not just when there’s bad times or terrible incidents.”
RAISED IN THE BRONX
The first in her family to join the department, Kinsella said she owes her professional drive to her tough-as-nails mother, a nurse immigrated to the U.S. from Guyana. Her “bonus” stepdad from childhood is a chef who originates from St. Thomas.
Born in the Bronx, Kinsella moved with her parents to Mariners Harbor when she was 14 years old.
“I didn’t know anything about Staten Island,” recalled Kinsella, who for the remainder of high school traveled by ferry, bus and/or train to the Bronx high school she already was attending. “I used to wake up at 3:30 a.m.”
She said as a teenager she was indifferent toward police.
https://twitter.com/NYPD120Pct/status/1374787839230144514
“My mother was very strict and there were no options,” she said. “If I had any interactions with cops, I was dead.”
While attending John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan with dreams of becoming a lawyer, she applied for the NYPD at a job fair “just because.”
“It’s been a crazy fun ride and I wouldn’t not have traded it for anything,” she said. “I’ve met some of the greatest people, and I work with the best people.”
ASCENDING THE RANKS
After graduating the city’s Police Academy, Kinsella’s first assignment as a patrol officer was in the 120th Precinct.
“I’ll never forget walking through these doors — I was terrified,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect.”
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She would go on to serve as a lieutenant with the Community Affairs unit on Staten Island, then a captain with the 120th Precinct and later precinct commander for Police Service Area 1 in Coney Island.
Then, finally, she returned to the borough she calls home.
In terms of her drive as a professional, she credits her mother.
“She was always tough but loving, and pushing me to do great things.” Kinsella said. “I got my strength, my drive and motivation from [her].”
At a 2019 award ceremony in Brooklyn for outstanding women in the community, state Sen. Diane Savino (D-North Shore/ Brooklyn) spoke about Kinsella’s compassion for the community, describing how she helped a single mom who had fallen on hard times and reached out to her office. Kinsella bought groceries, clothing and toys for the family.
“She became the person who made the difference between the children freezing on the street and finding a warm place to go,” Savino said. “And she didn’t do this because she was a cop, she did it because she was a woman and a mother, and that is why she is deserving of this recognition tonight.”
NORTH SHORE OFFICER, RESIDENT
If she’s not working or at home with her family on the North Shore, Kinsella said she’s probably out running.
Often times, work and play overlap.
“I get to see the community and say hello to residents,” said Kinsella, who encourages people to stop by the precinct stationhouse. “Come in and chat. Maybe you feel your kid is on the wrong path. That’s what I’m here for.”
Kinsella said that in addition to firsthand conversations with residents, ongoing relationships with community and/or social justice leaders in generationally impoverished, predominately Black and brown communities is vital to a productive relationship between residents and the police — in the wake of social upheaval across the U.S. that included several large protests on Staten Island.
“Deputy Inspector Kinsella is ready, willing and able to address any and all community concerns, and sometimes these situations are difficult on Staten Island,” said Sheree Goode, vice president and criminal justice chairperson for NAACP Staten Island. “The community respects Inspector Kinsella and supports her efforts to maintain law and order within the confines of the 120th Precinct.”
She went on to say that Kinsella “isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves and do the work.”
“Whether it’s volunteering at children’s events, distributing food or facilitating supplies for community activities.”
‘YOU HAVE TO CARE...’
Addressing the stress that NYPD officers have been working under, amid riots, a surge in violent crime and legislative changes impacting local law enforcement, Kinsella said the following:
“Do we enjoy not being liked or appreciated? Absolutely not,” she said. “But we have to have patience in everyday interactions, and [people] will see that cops really do love their jobs and want to make a difference in their city.”
She said it’s important to both support her officers, and in some cases hold them accountable.
“Being a leader, you have to have that love in your heart for your guys,” Kinsella said. “You have to care about their well-being, but also address the situation when they’re wrong.”
(c)2022 Staten Island Advance, N.Y.