By DAVID CRUZ 

Detective Kathleen O’Sullivan punched in at the 52nd Precinct on Jan. 13. The same day, she punched out as a detective one last time.

After 22 years, O’Sullivan entered retirement, bidding adieu to the NYPD. This was not before pulling an afternoon shift complete with a sendoff full of well-wishers from fellow officers, family, and a special visit from her former commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Joseph Dowling. Oh yes, and she still performed basic duties.

“It was sad leaving, but I left on a good note,” said O’Sullivan in a phone interview from her Yonkers home. “Everybody tells you that you’ll know when it’s time. And I knew it was my time.”

More uniquely, O’Sullivan invested her entire 22-year career in law enforcement at the Norwood stationhouse, a rare feat unlike the often peripatetic careers of her blue brothers and sisters. Such exclusivity made her an institutional savant, cataloging crime trends that gave the Five-Two the upper hand in collaring suspects.

“To the last day she was telling me about patterns in the 52nd Precinct. That’s dedication,” recalled the precinct’s commanding officer Inspector Nilda Hofmann.

O’Sullivan’s relationship with the precinct began in 1991 as an NYPD cadet, while attending Iona College. A rookie in 1994, she was assigned to the Five-Two, patrolling the streets and serving the Community Policing Unit. After training fellow officers and working in Special Ops, O’Sullivan moved on to detective specialist, later bumped to the Detective Squad. She kept one foot in the Five-Two and another in the Squad, serving as a go-between and assisting in a variety of cases.

O’Sullivan was the stationhouse Sherlock Holmes, whose dogged detective skills and sharp eyes enabled her to spot the slightest trademark of any wanted felon with whom she came across before. It also helped that she was deftly computer savvy, a benefit in an age where social media is frequently adopted by lawbreakers.

Her skills were so refined that she would know what an alleged criminal “had for breakfast this morning,” after running a background check, according to Sergeant Michael Burke, O’Sullivan’s superior. Burke, who walked O’Sullivan out of the precinct on her last day, admired her friendship best. “[She’s] a pleasure to have supervised and worked with and even more of a pleasure to have become her friend,” he said.

O’Sullivan leaves the job blemish-free and with several commendations. She admits the adjustment to regular civilian life will take time, though she’s looking forward to spending the latter part of her life coaching track and field, and spending time with her family.

Editor’s Note: Reach David Cruz at (718) 324-4998 or dcruz@norwoodnews.org.