Retired NYPD Officers Honored for Helping Stop Arson of Martin Luther King’s Atlanta Birth Home

by Staff

December 12, 2023

Retired NYPD Officers Honored for Helping Stop Arson of Martin Luther King’s Atlanta Birth Home

Axel and Kenny Dodson, retired New York Police Department officers, were presented with the Outstanding Citizens Award in New York City for saving a historic site in Atlanta from an arsonist.

Credit:

NYPD

1 min to read

Two retired New York City police officers who detained a woman accused of trying to burn down Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home in Atlanta last week were recognized by their former department over the weekend.

Brothers Kenny and Axel Dodson, who were in town visiting their father, were taking a stroll Thursday evening through the historic preservation district that includes the civil rights leader’s birth home when they saw another visitor pointing to a woman running away. He told them she had just tried to burn down the house on Auburn Avenue, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

“We didn’t expect anything like this,” Kenny Dodson said during a Saturday news conference to present them with the Outstanding Citizens Award.

Topics:Retired Officers Officer Honored New York agencies Patrol

More Patrol

image of men on bicycles and women competing in martial arts and a log for the US Police & Fire Championships

Patrol•December 10, 2025

Police & Fire Championships Expands Athlete Eligibility

The US Police & Fire Championships is now open to all employees – sworn, civilian, administrative, technical, and support staff – who work directly for an eligible public safety agency.

Sponsored•by Wayne Parham•December 5, 2025

Tips for Watching the Hands

How can officers better “watch the hands”? Mike Willis, Law Enforcement National Training and Program Director for the US Deputy Sheriff's Association, shares some tips.

Sponsored•by Wayne Parham•December 3, 2025

10 Tips for Felony/High-Risk Stops

What steps can officers take to stay safer during felony or high-risk vehicle stops? Here are 10 tips from Mike Willis, Law Enforcement National Training and Program Director for the US Deputy Sheriff's Association.

Screenshot of compute screen showing a blurred license plate compared to an image where the image has been enhanced to show the numbers and letters.

Patrol•by Edited by Staff•November 25, 2025

Amped Highlights Power Behind Amped FIVE Software

Amped FIVE empowers you to advance your investigations with confidence and precision, from the crime scene all the way to the courtroom.

Background orange tinted image of southern California with pushpin marking Burbank. Headline reads K-9 Killed by Gunman, Burbank Police Department

Patrol•November 24, 2025

Police K-9 Killed, Suspect Dies in Shootout with Cops

A Burbank Police Department K-9 was fatally shot over the weekend by a passenger who fled on foot from a traffic stop. The armed suspect was killed in a shootout with officers.

Patrol•by Wayne Parham•November 23, 2025

From the Show Floor: InVeris

In this video, learn about how InVeris provides training to law enforcement, including customized augmented reality scenarios. The augmented reality system can scan up to 10,000 square feet of real-life environments and create a curriculum based on those spaces.