THE COMMISSIONER—Rodney K. Harrison

About this episode

Rodney K. Harrison shares his journey and experiences in modern policing, including the hunt for the Gilgo Beach serial killer.

One Man. One Mission. Justice. In the Hunt for the Gilgo Beach Serial Killer. Rodney K. Harrison’s life could have gone the way of the drug dealers he grew up with in South Jamaica, Queens. Instead, a twist of fate and relentless drive led him to become the NYPD’s highest-ranking uniformed officer and, later, Police Commissioner of Suffolk County on Long Island—where he engineered the arrest of the elusive Gilgo Beach serial killer. Harrison survived a false arrest as a teenager and later dodged bullets as an undercover in Brooklyn. He calmed the fallout of Eric Garner’s chokehold death on Staten Island, worked shoulder-to-shoulder with outspoken community leaders in Harlem, brought Jam Master Jay's killers to justice, removed bricks from the 9/11 Twin Towers, dealt with looters during the pandemic on the streets of New York—and always advocated for every victim. This real-life Blue Bloods true crime story chronicles the triumphs, controversies, politics, and dangers that define modern policing in America’s largest city. Harrison shares these true crime stories: The harrowing night his undercover partner was shot on the street. An insider’s view of the investigations that shaped…

People in this episode

Host: Dan Zupansky

Guest: Rodney K. Harrison

Topics covered

• true crime
• policing
• Gilgo Beach serial killer
• justice
• NYPD
• community relations

Keywords

• Gilgo Beach
• Rodney K. Harrison
• true crime
• NYPD
• justice
• Eric Garner
• Jam Master Jay
• policing

Mentioned in this episode

Places: South Jamaica, Queens, Suffolk County, New York, Brooklyn, Harlem, Gilgo Beach

More episodes of True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History

• FIVE EVIL WOMEN—Joanna Bourke · June 8, 2026 · 1h 7m
• THE DEATH OF GEORGIA'S KYLE CLINKSCALES—James B. Longshore and Sheriff Donny Turner · June 1, 2026 · 1h 15m
• STOLEN LIVES—Rod Kackley · May 18, 2026 · 57 min
• KILLING THE LIEUTENANT—Lt. Raul J. Diaz and Sean Oliver · May 11, 2026 · 1h 3m
• THE FAMILY MAN—James Lasdun · May 4, 2026 · 58 min
• BROKEN PLEA—Christopher Whitcomb · April 27, 2026 · 1h 16m