A memorial service will be held for RETIRED DETECTIVE KENNETH PENROD, #4788, on Friday, May 30, 2014, at 1:00 p.m., at the Church of Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, Texas. The arrangements are being handled by North Dallas Funeral Home, 2710 Valley View Lane, Dallas, Texas.
DETECTIVE KENNETH PENROD retired from the Dallas Police Department on May 16, 2012 after 29 years of service.
Dallas Police detective Ken Penrod dies at 55
When Detective Ken Penrod was in an interrogation room with an accused killer, there was always a good chance he would end up holding the suspect's hand.
"The Penrod touch" was not just a trick to win confessions. Penrod genuinely believed in treating even the most evil people with respect. It won him countless murder onvictions
over the 30 years he served the Dallas Police Department, most of that time as a homicide
investigator.
"Ken brought justice to lots of people," said John Palmer, a friend and fellow officer. "He also served some of the people who he prosecuted just as well. They needed their side of the story told."
Penrod died Tuesday in hospice care at his home in Combine after a battle with brain cancer. He was 55.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Ave.
Kenneth Martin Penrod was born in Lubbock and grew up there and in Arlington, where he graduated from Sam Houston High School.
A Coast Guard veteran, Penrod began his Dallas police career in 1982 in the city's Southwest Patrol Division, where he worked the streets of north Oak Cliff. Within a few years, he became an assaults detective and then transferred to homicide. He was chasing killers when crime reached historic highs in the city, fueled by the crack
cocaine wars.
Without the DNA collection methods that are prevalent today, many cases depended on a detective's ability to get a confession. Penrod made that his craft. He would position
his chair to face his suspect, with nothing in between them. He would talk for hours, if necessary.
In the homicide unit, murder cases are typically assigned to individual detectives, but colleagues assist. Penrod was so well-respected that detectives would ask him to
interrogate their suspects.
"I called him a tool in my tool box," said Detective R.L. Ermatinger, a friend and colleague.
Penrod was featured in many episodes of the A&E television series The First 48, which tracks the early stages of homicide cases. In one scene, Penrod was shown interviewing
murder suspect Terome Omar Richardson.
"I know what really happened," Penrod said. "There was a certain set of events that were set in motion by somebody else on this thing."
Later in the interview, Penrod held Richardson's hand between his. "What happened?" Penrod asked Richardson, who wept as he confessed to the December 2007 murder of an Oak
Cliff drug dealer.
Richardson was convicted and is serving a life sentence.
Penrod's career was cut short in September 2011 after he collapsed at Jack Evans Police Headquarters. He underwent surgery on what was found to be a grade IV glioblastoma, a
highly aggressive tumor. Penrod had a stroke during the surgery that permanently and severely limited his speech.
In retirement, he and his wife, Dallas police Detective Laura Penrod, refused to let his illness get in the way. They drove their RV on camping trips in Arkansas, to Rangers spring training in Arizona, and to Chicago and St. Louis, where they visited Wrigley Field and Busch Stadium.
In addition to his wife of eight years, he is survived by his daughter, Amanda Lopez, 28, of Midlothian; two sons, Dereck Penrod of League City and Brandon Penrod of Cedar Hill; his mother, Margaret Penrod of Arlington; and a sister, Katherine Ferrell of Arlington.
DallasNews
25 May 2014
DETECTIVE KENNETH PENROD retired from the Dallas Police Department on May 16, 2012 after 29 years of service.
Dallas Police detective Ken Penrod dies at 55
When Detective Ken Penrod was in an interrogation room with an accused killer, there was always a good chance he would end up holding the suspect's hand.
"The Penrod touch" was not just a trick to win confessions. Penrod genuinely believed in treating even the most evil people with respect. It won him countless murder onvictions
over the 30 years he served the Dallas Police Department, most of that time as a homicide
investigator.
"Ken brought justice to lots of people," said John Palmer, a friend and fellow officer. "He also served some of the people who he prosecuted just as well. They needed their side of the story told."
Penrod died Tuesday in hospice care at his home in Combine after a battle with brain cancer. He was 55.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Ave.
Kenneth Martin Penrod was born in Lubbock and grew up there and in Arlington, where he graduated from Sam Houston High School.
A Coast Guard veteran, Penrod began his Dallas police career in 1982 in the city's Southwest Patrol Division, where he worked the streets of north Oak Cliff. Within a few years, he became an assaults detective and then transferred to homicide. He was chasing killers when crime reached historic highs in the city, fueled by the crack
cocaine wars.
Without the DNA collection methods that are prevalent today, many cases depended on a detective's ability to get a confession. Penrod made that his craft. He would position
his chair to face his suspect, with nothing in between them. He would talk for hours, if necessary.
In the homicide unit, murder cases are typically assigned to individual detectives, but colleagues assist. Penrod was so well-respected that detectives would ask him to
interrogate their suspects.
"I called him a tool in my tool box," said Detective R.L. Ermatinger, a friend and colleague.
Penrod was featured in many episodes of the A&E television series The First 48, which tracks the early stages of homicide cases. In one scene, Penrod was shown interviewing
murder suspect Terome Omar Richardson.
"I know what really happened," Penrod said. "There was a certain set of events that were set in motion by somebody else on this thing."
Later in the interview, Penrod held Richardson's hand between his. "What happened?" Penrod asked Richardson, who wept as he confessed to the December 2007 murder of an Oak
Cliff drug dealer.
Richardson was convicted and is serving a life sentence.
Penrod's career was cut short in September 2011 after he collapsed at Jack Evans Police Headquarters. He underwent surgery on what was found to be a grade IV glioblastoma, a
highly aggressive tumor. Penrod had a stroke during the surgery that permanently and severely limited his speech.
In retirement, he and his wife, Dallas police Detective Laura Penrod, refused to let his illness get in the way. They drove their RV on camping trips in Arkansas, to Rangers spring training in Arizona, and to Chicago and St. Louis, where they visited Wrigley Field and Busch Stadium.
In addition to his wife of eight years, he is survived by his daughter, Amanda Lopez, 28, of Midlothian; two sons, Dereck Penrod of League City and Brandon Penrod of Cedar Hill; his mother, Margaret Penrod of Arlington; and a sister, Katherine Ferrell of Arlington.
DallasNews
25 May 2014
A memorial service will be held for RETIRED DETECTIVE KENNETH PENROD, #4788, on Friday, May 30, 2014, at 1:00 p.m., at the Church of Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, Texas. The arrangements are being handled by North Dallas Funeral Home, 2710 Valley View Lane, Dallas, Texas.
DETECTIVE KENNETH PENROD retired from the Dallas Police Department on May 16, 2012 after 29 years of service.
Dallas Police detective Ken Penrod dies at 55
When Detective Ken Penrod was in an interrogation room with an accused killer, there was always a good chance he would end up holding the suspect's hand.
"The Penrod touch" was not just a trick to win confessions. Penrod genuinely believed in treating even the most evil people with respect. It won him countless murder onvictions
over the 30 years he served the Dallas Police Department, most of that time as a homicide
investigator.
"Ken brought justice to lots of people," said John Palmer, a friend and fellow officer. "He also served some of the people who he prosecuted just as well. They needed their side of the story told."
Penrod died Tuesday in hospice care at his home in Combine after a battle with brain cancer. He was 55.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Ave.
Kenneth Martin Penrod was born in Lubbock and grew up there and in Arlington, where he graduated from Sam Houston High School.
A Coast Guard veteran, Penrod began his Dallas police career in 1982 in the city's Southwest Patrol Division, where he worked the streets of north Oak Cliff. Within a few years, he became an assaults detective and then transferred to homicide. He was chasing killers when crime reached historic highs in the city, fueled by the crack
cocaine wars.
Without the DNA collection methods that are prevalent today, many cases depended on a detective's ability to get a confession. Penrod made that his craft. He would position
his chair to face his suspect, with nothing in between them. He would talk for hours, if necessary.
In the homicide unit, murder cases are typically assigned to individual detectives, but colleagues assist. Penrod was so well-respected that detectives would ask him to
interrogate their suspects.
"I called him a tool in my tool box," said Detective R.L. Ermatinger, a friend and colleague.
Penrod was featured in many episodes of the A&E television series The First 48, which tracks the early stages of homicide cases. In one scene, Penrod was shown interviewing
murder suspect Terome Omar Richardson.
"I know what really happened," Penrod said. "There was a certain set of events that were set in motion by somebody else on this thing."
Later in the interview, Penrod held Richardson's hand between his. "What happened?" Penrod asked Richardson, who wept as he confessed to the December 2007 murder of an Oak
Cliff drug dealer.
Richardson was convicted and is serving a life sentence.
Penrod's career was cut short in September 2011 after he collapsed at Jack Evans Police Headquarters. He underwent surgery on what was found to be a grade IV glioblastoma, a
highly aggressive tumor. Penrod had a stroke during the surgery that permanently and severely limited his speech.
In retirement, he and his wife, Dallas police Detective Laura Penrod, refused to let his illness get in the way. They drove their RV on camping trips in Arkansas, to Rangers spring training in Arizona, and to Chicago and St. Louis, where they visited Wrigley Field and Busch Stadium.
In addition to his wife of eight years, he is survived by his daughter, Amanda Lopez, 28, of Midlothian; two sons, Dereck Penrod of League City and Brandon Penrod of Cedar Hill; his mother, Margaret Penrod of Arlington; and a sister, Katherine Ferrell of Arlington.
DallasNews
25 May 2014
DETECTIVE KENNETH PENROD retired from the Dallas Police Department on May 16, 2012 after 29 years of service.
Dallas Police detective Ken Penrod dies at 55
When Detective Ken Penrod was in an interrogation room with an accused killer, there was always a good chance he would end up holding the suspect's hand.
"The Penrod touch" was not just a trick to win confessions. Penrod genuinely believed in treating even the most evil people with respect. It won him countless murder onvictions
over the 30 years he served the Dallas Police Department, most of that time as a homicide
investigator.
"Ken brought justice to lots of people," said John Palmer, a friend and fellow officer. "He also served some of the people who he prosecuted just as well. They needed their side of the story told."
Penrod died Tuesday in hospice care at his home in Combine after a battle with brain cancer. He was 55.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Ave.
Kenneth Martin Penrod was born in Lubbock and grew up there and in Arlington, where he graduated from Sam Houston High School.
A Coast Guard veteran, Penrod began his Dallas police career in 1982 in the city's Southwest Patrol Division, where he worked the streets of north Oak Cliff. Within a few years, he became an assaults detective and then transferred to homicide. He was chasing killers when crime reached historic highs in the city, fueled by the crack
cocaine wars.
Without the DNA collection methods that are prevalent today, many cases depended on a detective's ability to get a confession. Penrod made that his craft. He would position
his chair to face his suspect, with nothing in between them. He would talk for hours, if necessary.
In the homicide unit, murder cases are typically assigned to individual detectives, but colleagues assist. Penrod was so well-respected that detectives would ask him to
interrogate their suspects.
"I called him a tool in my tool box," said Detective R.L. Ermatinger, a friend and colleague.
Penrod was featured in many episodes of the A&E television series The First 48, which tracks the early stages of homicide cases. In one scene, Penrod was shown interviewing
murder suspect Terome Omar Richardson.
"I know what really happened," Penrod said. "There was a certain set of events that were set in motion by somebody else on this thing."
Later in the interview, Penrod held Richardson's hand between his. "What happened?" Penrod asked Richardson, who wept as he confessed to the December 2007 murder of an Oak
Cliff drug dealer.
Richardson was convicted and is serving a life sentence.
Penrod's career was cut short in September 2011 after he collapsed at Jack Evans Police Headquarters. He underwent surgery on what was found to be a grade IV glioblastoma, a
highly aggressive tumor. Penrod had a stroke during the surgery that permanently and severely limited his speech.
In retirement, he and his wife, Dallas police Detective Laura Penrod, refused to let his illness get in the way. They drove their RV on camping trips in Arkansas, to Rangers spring training in Arizona, and to Chicago and St. Louis, where they visited Wrigley Field and Busch Stadium.
In addition to his wife of eight years, he is survived by his daughter, Amanda Lopez, 28, of Midlothian; two sons, Dereck Penrod of League City and Brandon Penrod of Cedar Hill; his mother, Margaret Penrod of Arlington; and a sister, Katherine Ferrell of Arlington.
DallasNews
25 May 2014
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