Joe Kennedy

NCIS Senior Agent (Retired)

Joey (Joe) D. Kennedy was a Special Agent with Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for 25 years. He attended the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA and subsequently served in various offices around the world including, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Puerto Rico, Japan, Philippines, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, and Washington, DC. Joe is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Pfeiffer College, Misenheimer, NC where he played baseball for legendary coach Joseph Ferebee. He attended Executive Education at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA and received a Master of Policy Management degree from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Joe served in a variety of positions, including Special Agent Afloat USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), Field Training Agent, Special Operations Team Leader, Staff Counterintelligence Officer for III Marine Expeditionary Forces – Okinawa, Japan, Desk Officer at NCIS Headquarters, Team Leader – Virgin Islands Homicide Task Force, Supervisory Special Agent, Resident Agent-In-Charge, Assistant Special Agent-In-Charge, Deputy Special Agent-In-Charge, and Special Agent-In-Charge. He served as a board member for the Department of Justice “Weed and Seed” Task Force and the North Carolina Homicide Investigator’s Association. He also participated as an Executive Board Member for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force in the Caribbean and Crime Commission for the Governor of Puerto Rico.

Joe was the Primary Architect and First Program Manager for the internationally acclaimed NCIS Cold Case Homicide Unit. He wrote the methodology and protocol for NCIS Cold Case investigations, which has been adopted by numerous police agencies around the globe. Joe has provided cold case homicide consultation and training to various law enforcement agencies throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He was recently profiled in “Delayed Justice – America’s Best Cold Case Investigators.”

Joe has completed multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Philippines. He twice served as the Resident Agent-In-Charge for NCIS Resident Agency Fallujah, Iraq. Most recently, Special Agent Kennedy served as the Director for the Department of Defense (DOD) Joint Counterintelligence Unit (JCIU), International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF), Kabul, Afghanistan. Prior to reporting to the NCIS Carolinas Field Office, he was responsible for the newly established NCIS Counter-Piracy and Counter Narco-Terrorism (CNT) initiative at the NCIS Middle East Field Office, where he collaborated with the International Police (INTERPOL) and NATO to develop proactive law enforcement strategies designed to combat Somali Piracy in the Indian Ocean and Gulf Region.

Joe is a member of the International Homicide Investigators Association, North Carolina Homicide Investigator’s Association, North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Eastern Carolina Association of Law Enforcement Executives, and the Fraternal Order of Police. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and commendations, including the Meritorious Civilian Service Award (3), Superior Civilian Service Award, Virginia Homicide Investigator of the Year Award, United States Department of Justice Public Service Award, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Investigative Excellence Award, International Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association Special Award of Honor, U.S. Marine Corps Commendation (2), FBI Commendation, Global War on Terrorism Medal,NCIS Expeditionary Medal, and NATO Medal.