HARTFORD, Conn — Chief Jason Thody of the Hartford Police Department announced on Wednesday, the hiring of Kenny Howell as an Assistant Chief.
Howell is a New Haven native and has been a longtime member of the Elm city's police department. He has 24 years of law enforcement experience and spent three years in Millbury, Massachusetts as the Police Chief.
“Kenny’s deep experience in a community similar to Hartford, both growing up and serving in the police department, will help him hit the ground running and I am looking forward to having him part of our senior team at the Hartford Police Department,” said Chief Thody.
Assistant Chief Howell is a graduate of Southern Connecticut University as well as earning two master's degrees from Western New England University and Harvard. He also has a law degree from the Massachusetts School of Law and was admitted to the Connecticut Bar.
Thody said Howell will spend the next two weeks going through the required training before working day-today at his new position on the first week of January.
Howell expressed his gratitude and excitement for the new position.
“I am honored to join the Hartford Police Department and I am looking forward to getting to know and serving this community. I grew up in a community like Hartford, and that’s at the root of why I pursued a career in law enforcement. I grew up in tenements with a single mom and five siblings, and we didn’t have a lot – but my mom taught us right from wrong. I saw a lot of injustice in my community, including some injustice perpetrated by police. I distinctly remember that there was a group of cops in my neighborhood who had a reputation as the ‘Beat Down Posse’ because of how they acted.”
“But that wasn’t my only experience with law enforcement growing up. I also remember the special police officer who came to my house after I got beat up one day. That officer listened to me, made me feel safe, and helped to develop the dream that I might one day become a member of law enforcement. My road wasn’t easy. I attended a technical high school taking culinary classes, and then I worked as a cook at McDonald’s and Wendy’s. I became a security guard, and then a police officer. And during my two decades as a police officer in my hometown, I went to college, got a law degree, and passed the bar exam on my first try, all because I realized how much an education could change my future."
“I also had the experience of being a Black and Hispanic police chief in a small community that was 97% white and trying to make a change there, implementing a community-policing model, increasing training, implementing CompStat for the first time in the department’s history."
“I am looking forward to serving the people of Hartford because I know I will be able to relate to the life experience of the community I will serve and because my experience in law enforcement over the last two decades will help me work with Chief Thody, Assistant Chief Medina, and the rest of the department to bring about positive change.”
