Vernon Chief: Training New Cops Amid Coronavirus A New Challenge

VERNON, CT — The Vernon Police Department introduced a new class of officers Monday in an outdoor ceremony at its headquarters. The police chief then explained how the first rookies hired since the coronavirus pandemic present a new set of training challenges.

"It's something we've obviously never experienced before, but I cannot say enough about how supportive the mayor (former VPD officer Daniel Champagne) and the administration have been," chief James Kenny said.

New officers sworn in Monday were Jonathan Santos, Alyson Perez, Cameron Batchelor and Michael Pino.

The training started out with social distancing at the swearing in ceremony, Kenny quipped. He then said with all seriousness that it was symbolic of a whole new way to train officers.

Normally, rookies spend 26 weeks at the Connecticut police academy, but it is currently only open for driving and firearms training, Kenny said. The new officers will get their classroom work in virtually and physical training will be handled by VPD staffers, he added.

After basic training, it's then the typical 15 weeks of on-the-job training on the beat in Vernon, he said.