Katrina Brownlee grew up in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. She became a mother at the early age of fourteen, and when she was twenty-two years old she was shot ten times in a violent domestic dispute that left her paralyzed. After several surgeries and relearning to walk, Katrina worked hard to overcome the obstacles of her troubled past. She attended the College of New Rochelle, and upon completion, joined the New York City Police Department (NYPD), starting out as a traffic agent and working her way diligently up the ranks.

Katrina made detective third grade, detective second grade, and then detective first grade, the highest rank in the NYPD. She worked undercover for five years, then became an investigator, worked in the Department of Community Affairs, and eventually garnered the opportunity to work security detail for Mayor Bill de Blasio. During this time, she received a 5.0 evaluation, the highest that a police officer can achieve in the NYPD, and was honored with many other accolades for her outstanding performance and accomplishments.

Katrina has been mentoring at-risk young ladies since 2012, and is the founder of Young Ladies of Our Future 501(c)(3), a non-profit organization with a mission to help at-risk teens by healing the wounds of interpersonal violence, building self-esteem, and promoting health and wellness. She is also the founder of the Katrina Cooke Brownlee charity, and the author of a forthcoming memoir titled And Then Came The Blues.