Picture Vernon: When Ducks Worked With Police

VERNON, CT — The latest installment of the Picture Vernon series takes us back to 1961 and a search on Bolton Lake related to a drowning incident.

The search was conducted in a DUKW, or Duck, a surplus World War II craft that could be used on land and at sea.

Then-Vernon Police Chief Chief Ed Dwyer can be seen in the middle of the vehicle, holding onto the side ladder.

Many Connecticut towns with shorelines or lakes acquired he Ducks after the war. They were used for the transportation of goods and troops over land and water and were idea at approaching and crossing beaches during amphibious assaults. The Ducks were built to only last long enough for a combat mission, but, with enough civilian care, they lasted for a few years as municipal police and utility vehicles.

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Picture Vernon is a periodic series featuring images of the town, past and present.