Date: December 19, 2022
Re: Retirement of K-9 “Kenny”
Issued by: Captain Jeremiah P. Marron Jr.
The Darien Police Department announces the retirement of K-9 “Kenny.” K-9 “Kenny” and his handler Officer Leslie Silva were placed into service on June 2, 2017 after several months of intensive training. Certified by both the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association and the North American Police Work Dog Association, Ofc. Silva deployed K-9 “Kenny” over 100 times for the purposes of detecting narcotics not only for investigations taking place in Darien, but in several neighboring jurisdictions. K-9 “Kenny” and Ofc. Silva also assisted in investigations conducted by the Connecticut State Police and federal agencies as well.
At age 9, and after 5.5 years of active service, the collective decision was made to allow “Kenny” to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. Named after fallen Darien Police Officer Kenneth Bateman Jr. who was shot and killed in the line of duty on May 31, 1981, K-9 “Kenny” worked his last patrol shift on November 28, 2022. Since that time, Officer Silva has been appointed to the position of Detective and has taken over full ownership and responsibility for “Kenny.” “Kenny” will live out his golden years at home with Det. Silva and her son. According to Det. Silva, “Kenny” is adjusting to retirement just fine as he is no longer a “food reward” working dog and is able to eat his meals and enjoy his cookies as often as his civilian buddies get to! Lastly, we would like to extend our appreciation to the Stamford Police Department and Lt. Seth O’Brien for playing such a crucial role in “Kenny’s” regular monthly training. Although we will miss seeing “Kenny” at “Coffee With A Cop” and all of the other community events that he regularly attended, we wish him the best in his retirement. Thank you for your service K-9 “Kenny” and Det. Silva.