Frontline Responders: Impact of Kennis Croom

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) -“Yeah, if you wore a badge and you worked with him, you were a brother. And whenever we lost him, it truly felt like we lost a brother.” said Detective, Mason Thomas.

Its been nearly nine months since the city of meridian lost a member of its family, community, and police department. Ever since June 9, 2022, the Meridian Police Department has never been the same.

“You would never find another person like him. There’s only one Kenneth Croom man. He could only be the person that he was, and you can never expect nobody to be like him,” said Corporal for MPD, Detrick Robinson.

Croom was a major asset to the police department, helping others during tough times but also giving back when they needed it most.

“His dedication to this department was, you know, he wanted to go to night shift to trade with another officer so that they could come to days. He was willing to give that sacrifice of working nights instead of days,” said Chief of MPD, Deborah Young.

“Kennis was a very good friend of mine and a dear officer always willing to help any way he could,” said Officer for MPD, David McQueen.

Even though he seemed to be involved with everyone and everything, there was one officer who feels as if his impact will last a lifetime.

“Officer Croom was my partner mentor and friend. He taught me that in order to be a successful police officer, I have to have love, passion, and humility. Love for my people, passion for this work, and always be humble enough to know that I will never stop learning,” said SPO for MPD, Crystin Latta.

Through hard times and good times, Croom was able to make the most of every situation, and everyone has memories of Officer Croom that will stick with them forever.

“You up, bro? Text messages at 9,10, 11, 12. O’clock. Yeah, I’m up. What you got and then me spending the next hour to two hours trying to get off the phone with them for conversations about everything,” said Sargent for MPD, Robert Walker.

“He was funny. He was cool. He was crazy for the most part. He always had a joke to tell, or he was doing something to make you laugh. And I appreciate the time that I did have with him,” said Detective for MPD, Courtney McGrew

To honor his legacy, law enforcement is coming together to host a 3k run and walk in his honor.

“He always made you laugh, even if it was anger at first, but it always turned into a laugh. And you just don’t want to let the memory of somebody like that die. I understand. You know life goes on. You know, you forget things, but he deserves to be remembered,” said Detective for MPD, Chanetta Stevens.

The Run for Croom 3K will be held March 24 at 10 a.m. at Bonita Lakes Park. The registration is 20 dollars, and all of the proceeds will go to the Croom family.

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