Ex-chief prosecutor for OKC dies at 88
Kenneth Allan Nash, a former police major who served as chief prosecutor for the the city of Oklahoma City, died Friday. He was 88.
Nash joined the Oklahoma City Police Department in 1952 and served 20 years before retiring as assistant to the chief with the rank of major.
He was director of the city’s criminal justice council from 1972-1985 and was instrumental in obtaining the police department’s first helicopter.
Nash served as assistant municipal attorney for 15 years beginning in 1985 and retired as the city’s chief prosecutor.
Assistant City Manager M.T. Berry remembered Nash from his days as a prosecutor, calling him “a man to be respected.”
“He was a fair man,” said Berry, who served as police chief from 19982003. “I don’t think he was as rough and tough as his outward appearance and voice. He had a deep gravelly voice.”
Nash served under four governors on the Oklahoma Crime Commission, and was a founding member of Oklahoma City Police Association. He received a 60-year service appreciation award in 2012 and in 2015 was inducted into the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Hall of Fame.
Police Chief Bill Citty lived down the street from Nash as a boy and got to know him later in life. He remembered him as a man of integrity who always tried to do the right thing.
“He was the kind of guy who wasn’t afraid to make a decision,” Citty said. “He wasn’t afraid to stand his ground. He was a man who would let you know what he thought. He could make the hard decisions and wasn’t afraid of being criticized.”
Nash cared deeply about the police department and the police association, Citty added.
“He loved the police department and the employees in it to the very end,” he said. “For me, he was always supportive and encouraging ... just a good man.”