Photos: Book Cover\YouTube Screenshots
New York, NY – At 22 years old, Katrina Brownlee, five months pregnant, was shot ten times by her ex-fiancé, a New York City correctional officer who had terrorized her for years. Despite desperate 911 calls in the months leading up to the shooting, police officers failed to protect her, instead shielding her abuser. This betrayal by the system inspired Brownlee to become the kind of law enforcement officer she never found when she needed one most. She served in the New York Police Department for 20 years, rising to First Grade Detective.
Brownlee shares her harrowing, ultimately inspiring story in And Then Came the Blues: My Story of Survival on Both Sides of the Badge (Open Lens/Akashic Books) set to launch August 5, 2025. The memoir traces her extraordinary journey from her troubled childhood marked by transgenerational trauma and nearly losing her life to becoming one of New York City’s most decorated detectives, serving in undercover operations and the elite mayoral protection detail.
More than a personal story, Brownlee’s memoir exposes the deep failures in how domestic violence cases are handled and offers a powerful call for reform. After surviving unimaginable abuse and institutional neglect, she became a beacon of hope, dedicating her life to mentoring at-risk girls and fighting for victims’ rights through her nonprofit Young Ladies of Our Future and advocacy platform Can’t Be Silenced.
“At any step along the way, I might have given up and decided, the world owes me, not the other way around,” writes Brownlee in the gripping memoir. “But I knew if I could protect even a few people from the pain I had suffered, I would be a better person for it.”
Her courageous voice has been spotlighted in The New York Times and CBS’s 48 Hours. Now she reveals the full scope of her journey in her own words, raw and unvarnished.
And Then Came the Blues is available in hardcover ($28.95, ISBN: 978-1-63614-236-4) and e-book ($26.23, ISBN: 978-1-63614-237-1) beginning August 5, 2025.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katrina Brownlee a retired NYPD police officer, regularly teaches seminars to law enforcement officers on managing domestic violence incidents. She has received many accolades for her mentorship work as the founder of Young Ladies of Our Future, a nonprofit organization serving at-risk young women. The organization’s mission is to heal the wounds of interpersonal violence, build self-esteem, and promote health and wellness so young women can achieve their goals and live successful lives. Brownlee also established Can’t Be Silenced, an organization working on solutions to the urgent domestic violence crisis. And Then Came the Blues: My Story of Survival on Both Sides of the Badge is her first book.
KEY MOMENTS FROM AND THEN CAME THE BLUES: MY STORY OF SURVIVAL ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BADGE
Surviving a Near-Fatal Domestic Violence Attack in 1993
Shot ten times by her fiancé, a correctional officer, Katrina was left for dead while five months pregnant.
Systemic Betrayal by Law Enforcement
Despite repeatedly calling 911, Katrina’s pleas for help were ignored. Officers shielded her abuser instead of intervening, revealing a deadly institutional failure that nearly cost her life.
Choosing to Become a Police Officer
Determined to protect others, Katrina joined the NYPD to be the “good cop” who never came to her rescue.
High-Risk Police Assignments
She works undercover in narcotics and sex trafficking cases, earning respect in the NYPD’s toughest units.
Mayor de Blasio’s Executive Protection Detail
Katrina is selected to protect New York City’s mayor, among the highest honors for an NYPD officer.
Founding Young Ladies of Our Future and Can’t Be Silenced
Transforming personal tragedy into purpose, Katrina founded a nonprofit to mentor at-risk young women and launched an advocacy platform focused on reforming how law enforcement responds to domestic violence.
To Support our independent investigative journalism contributions are welcome via Cashapp to: $BlackStarNews
Also support Black Star News by buying merch from our brand new Black Star Store!
