Testimonials

Excerpt from the book

Relentless Pursuit

written by Incident Commander

Major Charles E. Guess,

New York State Police (Ret.)

“I was fortunate to be assigned, right out of the Academy [New York State Police Academy], to Trooper Gary Kelly, of Troop “G”, Zone One, my Primary FTO [Field Training Officer]. As the member-in-charge of the SP Sand Lake satellite office in Rensselaer County, just east of Albany, NY, Gary was the quintessential FTO. A sharp, seasoned trooper, who had been assigned to the satellite due to his record as a self-motivated and tenacious investigator. It was immediately apparent to me, as a 30-year-old former Army captain, that I was in the right place, and that I stood to learn a lot from Trooper Kelly, and he did not disappoint. By the time my training was complete, we had experienced, in real time, just about every aspect of road patrol: burglaries, sexual assaults, property crimes, larceny arrests, DWI arrests, traffic enforcement, barricaded subjects, and the like. Perhaps Gary’s most lasting lesson for me, was thoroughness of investigation and interviewing techniques. If a perpetrator was guilty of committing a crime, Gary could lawfully get them to admit it. He was smooth, effective, and respectful, all at the same time. Virtually nothing went unsolved. [Post script, although our careers would take entirely different directions, it was gratifying to observe from afar, as Trooper Kelly continued to ascend the ranks of the Investigative side of the organization (BCI) and is now considered, both within and outside the agency, as a SME [subject matter expert] in Crimes Against Children.”

Anonymous Course Critiques from presentation at Campus Sexual Assault Training Seminar: Lt. Gary Kelly – “Don’t You Believe Me?”

“Lt Gary Kelly gets it. I wish we could have a sit down with all the officers & investigators in our County. Thank you Lt. Kelly!” Crime Victim Advocate attendee
“Gary is an incredible presenter!” State University of NY Title IX Coordinator attendee
“Excellent! Loved the lead in video with the song! Personal stories really helped drive it home!!” Title IX Coordinator of CICU Institution attendee
“Great use of knowledge of trauma and impact on victim, victim blaming, false reporting.” Campus Crime Victim Advocate attendee

“Gary managed a highly successful statewide AMBER Alert program for over 10 years. He methodically sought and examined every detail of missing child cases. His ability to immediately establish working relationships and proactively engage all available resources undoubtedly saved children’s lives. Gary’s passion, commitment, and his ability to foster partnerships has had a lasting effect on New York’s AMBER program. Additionally, Gary is able to carry the same abilities to the corporate office or classroom in order to educate and bring people together with shared goals in order to achieve great success.”

Steven Heider - Colonie Police Chief (ret.); past President NYS Association of Chiefs of Police

“Gary is dedicated, hard-working and energetic. As an AMBER Alert Coordinator he went beyond his expected role and worked each case as an investigator too, proactively helping police bring children safely home. He is an excellent leader and trainer. He captivates his audiences with the ability to professionally mix humor in his training. His messages are highly effective.”

Richard Novik, Senior Vice President, New York State Broadcasters Association, Albany, NY