Revered Vernon Police Chief James Kenny To Retire

VERNON, CT — James Kenny, the longtime Vernon police chief known for his hands-on approach that often led to him to directing traffic at scenes, has announced his retirement.

Kenny, 61, came to Vernon as a captain in 2006 from the Glastonbury department. He was appointed chief a year later.

Kenny emerged as a leader not just in local circles, but at the state state and regional levels in various roles with the Connecticut Criminal Justice Policy Advisory Commission (commonly referred to as CJPAC) and the regional chiefs of police organization.

Kenny was at one time the commander of the Capital Region Emergency Services Team, the multi-town SWAT team that serves north-central Connecticut.

He oversaw the imposition of body cameras to the Vernon Police Department and spearheaded efforts to modernize the dispatch center and the communications infrastructure.

He was also instrumental in establishing community policing and accountability practices that are now considered ahead of their times in relation to the current national climate.

"Chief Kenny has been a great mentor to several generations of law enforcement officers," Vernon Police Department spokesman Lt. William Meier said. "He's been a hands-on leader who has often responded to calls himself."

That was evident one morning a few years ago. It was well before 8 a.m. and Kenny was about to turn into the Vernon Police department parking lot. A call suddenly came in for a serious accident at one of Vernon's most notorious intersections. Kenny circled through the parking lot and headed to the scene.

He wound up handling traffic control.

"I'm not one to sit around," Kenny said at the time. It was a line he repeated often.

Another example was in 2011, when a woman who had been missing for two days was found with serious injuries in a barn in the back of a property in the Rockville section of town.

"We found her," Kenny said as he burst from the police station. He became a calming influence at a scene rife with chaos as the public search concluded.

The most animated instance of Kenny chipping in took place one day about a dozen years ago. He was on his way to work, but was on light duty after sustaining an arm injury at the national police academy. A call came in for a serious fire at a motile home park for the elderly and, Kenny being Kenny, he pointed his cruiser in the direction of the fire and wound up being the first at the scene.

He also once wrestled the ground a suspect in a homicide investigation.

"Well, I have always believed in the military definition of leadership — that the leader doesn't ask officers or staff members to do anything he or she would not do," Kenny said. "If dirty job needed to get done, I have always chipped in to get it done because that freed up the officers to complete the investigation. I never let the fact that I was chief of police get in the way of completing the mission."

Vernon officials have not yet announced the search process for Kenny's replacement.

"I have a lot of good memories ... and a lot of tragedy to remember in my career," Kenny said. he bad stuff stays with you — the tragedies, losing an officer ... that sticks with you. But I have always enjoyed things like National Night Out and the July in the Sky fireworks night — meeting people under favorable conditions."

Kenny's last day will be July 9.

"It was a very bittersweet decision. When I wrote the e-mailto the officers, it was very difficult to hit send," he said. "For 15 years, this was my second family and it's very difficult to say goodbye. It's surreal, but I'll stay until the summer to make sure the town finds replacement chief the will continue what we've done here."