Vernon chief ready for retirement

Anthony Branciforte, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·5 min read

Apr. 5—VERNON — After four decades as a police officer and 14 years at the helm in Vernon, Police Chief James Kenny said he is ready for his first summer vacation as an adult when he retires this July.

In an interview with the Journal Inquirer reflecting on his career, Kenny said those years have been both rewarding and challenging, as he has helped many civilians while navigating a changing legal and cultural landscape for police officers.

CHIEF KENNY RETIRES

CAREER: 40 years.

VERNON CAREER: Hired in 2006; promoted to chief in 2007; served with Glastonbury Police Department as an officer, rose to lieutenant and then left that department to become a captain in the Vernon Police Department.

RETIRING: July.

Kenny, 61, who began his career as a military police officer in the U.S. Army and had a lengthy career with the Glastonbury Police Department before being hired in Vernon, said he first got the idea to enter police work "about 1,000 years ago" when he was sitting around tables with his uncles and cousins — all who were serving as police officers in Boston and New York City.

"I'd hear the stories they would tell and how exciting it was, and at that point I decided I was going to be a police officer," he said.

Moving up the ranks involved four major factors, he said: staying out of trouble, being a good test-taker, working hard, and taking advantage of any promotional opportunities.

"I tell (younger officers) to avail themselves to all the training they can get," he said. "The more diverse skill set you develop through the training really" helps with advancement opportunities.

Being a police officer involves constantly developing new skills, understanding new technologies, and adapting to new laws, Kenny said.

"From the early '80s, policing has changed tremendously," he said, adding that pen and paper have been replaced by car computers and "the handheld computers that we call phones." Computer technology, he said, has "dramatically changed how things are done now," sometimes for better and other times for worse.

"If we have a technology failure and we're back to pens and paper, the old timers know how to do it but the young (officers) have no clue," he added.

Legislation and case law also have altered the way police do their jobs, Kenny said, citing Tennessee vs. Garner, a Supreme Court decision that came early in his career and barred officers from shooting fleeing suspects who do not pose a significant threat to the officers or civilians. "That helped restrict our use of force," Kenny said.

Kenny also recalled the famous Thurman vs. City of Torrington case, which resulted in a state law that "dramatically changed how we dealt with our domestic violence situations" by requiring police officers make an arrest in those incidents even if no party involved wishes to press charges.

"And now, of course, at the end of my career we're dealing with the impacts of the police accountability bill," legislation that was passed in July and, among other changes, limits use of force and qualified immunity. "I'm not going to get into the politics of it, but there are major changes we're that having to deal with."

But Kenny said that, when it comes to policy changes, Vernon has been ahead of many other departments.

"We never taught chokeholds in Vernon because of the inherent danger," Kenny said. He also noted that Vernon was "one of the first communities to embrace" body cameras for police officers, a policy that was enacted in Vernon in 2012 to protect civilians and officers alike.

"There were always questions about police transparency — are we doing the right thing," he said. "The thing about being a police officer is you're only as good as your credibility and the credibility with the community."

Kenny said he has had to adjust his personal approach to policing over the years, including in 2008, about a year after he was named chief, when a suspect fled into a wooded area during an investigation of a sexual assault and attempted homicide.

"I went to one side of the woods, the sergeant went to the other side, and up popped the suspect," he recalled, adding that the suspect "came very close to getting shot because he had something metal in his hand."

When the suspect was speaking to the sergeant, Kenny "decided it was a good idea to jump on him and wrestle him to the ground." But when the sergeant asked Kenny who is supposed to investigate his use of force on the job, he said he realized his role on the force had fundamentally changed.

"My job was no longer to be the doer; it was to be the person behind the scenes to make sure things were going alright," he said.

Kenny, who said he plans to "do absolutely nothing for the short-term" other than chores around the house after retiring, said he believes the department will be left in good hands when he retires later this year. While he said there are many new officers in the department and changing state laws, he said he is confident Vernon police will continue to serve the community in the manner they have under his leadership.

"I'd like to think I'll be missed, but the department runs itself. I have great command staff," he said. "When times get tough and something bad happens, we all pull together and get the job done."

For updates and coverage of Vernon and Stafford, follow Anthony Branciforte on Twitter: @ABranciforte_JI, Facebook: Reporter Anthony Branciforte, and Instagram: @JI_Anthony1.

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