You left out the good record at Riker’s Island, i.e. attacks down.

As for his “weird career path,” yes, he’s a doer, not a tester; he does. He did not do cursum scholarium, the course of scholars.

One thing he did do then had to walk away from was the Iraqi PD, as that is too much for the toughest American cop. Long story, but Iraqi PD was minor stuff. Any criminal detective work was the Muhkarbat, aka secret police. We so hosed them by trying to make them a police force AND drinking the COIN Kool Aide, which is fatal to police for no gains.

What they ended up doing, however long after Kerik and indeed after the IRAQI PD saw through us, gave them a zero recidivism rate: the desert or the canals. and no more repeat offenders. I often call it Iraqi Progressive Policing. ;)