Kimarli citation

Captain Kimarli Burnett has never been a part of the military, but had he been, he would have been a perfect fit in any military unit.

Kimarli is described as having

• great leadership skills
• consistent and reliable decision-making abilities
• decisiveness
• empathy in his interactions with others
• of calm demeanour

…all the qualities a military Captain would need to succeed.

Kimarli was born on August 24, 1983 and is the last of five siblings.

He attended Tarrant and Dunoon Technical High Schools after which he worked for two years in a department store.

Having a passion for adventure, he decided to switch careers. This saw him joining the Atlas Security Company for a year, followed by the G4S Security Company where he spent seven years. These early experiences prepared him for the position he now holds at Hawkeye Electronic Security to whom he has been employed since September 2014.

Hawkeye Electronic Security provides security services to the British High Commission and it is whilst serving at the High Commission that Kimarli truly came into his own, eventually being promoted to the rank of Captain and appointed as a Platoon Commander in 2017.

Kimarli, this is what your employer thinks about you, and I quote, “On a day to day basis he shows great leadership skills and has proven to be a consistent and reliable decision maker.  His nomination, unlike many that stem from a single outstanding response to one incident, stems particularly from three separate incidents requiring prompt, decisive and empathic actions”. 

So Kimali, your employers are not only saying that you are a good captain, but that you are consistently good, and they have noticed, and they value you.

In June 2019 while on duty at the British High Commission, Captain Kimarli Burnett received a request for help, and responded.  When Kimarli got to the scene he found an individual trying to commit suicide with a gun. The person had already discharged the weapon and was making suicidal statements.

What does one do when you come across an individual with a loaded working gun who is intent on killing someone? You run of course!

But Kimarli was the captain on duty and no-one was going to commit suicide on his watch! There was no time to call for professional help, there was only time for him to approach a mentally unstable individual with a loaded gun - and save a life.

Only his best was good enough. Not surprisingly, this is Kimarli’s favourite quote. Kimarli gently reassured the subject and secured the weapon, before transporting him for professional counselling.

One would be forgiven for thinking that Captain Burnett sounds like the type of person who would run into a burning building to help get the occupants to safety.

Which is exactly what he did this past January 2020.

Having been advised of smoke coming from an office building at the High Commission, he went to investigate. The Captain was not deterred by the sight of smoke billowing from the building, neither was he discouraged by the incessant wail of the fire alarm systems. Instead he walked into the burning building and calmly guided the staff to safety.  And he managed to call the Fire Brigade while all of this was going on.

Having confirmed that the building was clear, he then led arriving firefighters into the building to conduct investigations. Burnett remained cool, calm and organised in his management of the incident.  As a result, there were no injuries and minimal property damage. And by the way, he was not on duty, having just been relieved.

Cool, calm and organised in his management of the incident is an accurate description of Kimarli’s actions, when in December 2019, he was advised of a road traffic collision involving two of his team in the early hours of the morning.  He responded to their location, providing first aid to both injured officers before securing the location and transporting them to hospital. No wonder his nickname is Captain.

At the age of 24, on July 17, 2008, Kimarli got married to his beautiful wife Opal. The marriage produced two lovely children, DeShawn and DeJanae.

He has been a Christian for twenty-one years and worships at The Power of Faith Ministries in Portmore, St. Catherine.

In his spare time, he enjoys reading, listening to music and spending time with his family. Kimarli’s favourite meal is plenty of barbeque chicken with rice and peas.

And finally, Kimarli, let me quote once more from what your employers have to say about you.

“While these could easily be dismissed as ‘doing his job’ Captain Burnett regularly steps up beyond expectation, reflecting his personal values and professionalism, and those of his employer and his Platoon, for whom he sets an example on a daily basis.  He is well regarded by the security officers in his platoon and by both Hawkeye and British High Commission management.  He has my confidence and support and has in each instance used these incidents as learning and teaching experiences.  He is an exemplary officer deserving of recognition.”

Kimani Burnett you are a shining example to the profession of industrial security.

The Jamaica Chapter of ASIS International recognises your worth and salutes you.