Norwich police promote sergeant with a 'big heart'
Norwich — Calling him “a big man with a big heart,” Police Chief Louis J. Fusaro on Tuesday promoted Officer Michael J. McKinney to the rank of sergeant before a crowd of family, friends and fellow officers.
A well-liked school resource officer, member of the Norwich Juvenile Review Board and an active executive committee member of the Norwich NAACP, McKinney will serve as the department’s new evening shift field supervisor.
Fusaro said that, as an outstanding officer and a man “who is always looking out for this city,” McKinney will be able to share his expertise with the younger officers at the department in his new role. McKinney was selected from among other candidates for the promotion after a competitive test and assessment by the city’s Human Resources Department, assisted by the Law Enforcement Council of Connecticut.
“He’s proven himself with his law enforcement skills, his dedication and his well-rounded policing experience,” Fusaro said.
McKinney credits his father with help in molding him into a person interested in investing himself in the community where he lives and works. McKinney is the son of John McKinney, a 32-year veteran of the Passaic, N.J., police department who retired as a lieutenant.
The elder McKinney pinned the new sergeant’s badge onto his son’s lapel at Tuesday’s ceremony as Michael McKinney’s wife, Avery, and young daughter looked on.
McKinney thanked his mentors at the department, the school system for “teaching me patience,” his family and his father, who he said “is still my hero.”
“All I ever had to do was follow his example,” he said.
John McKinney said he advised his son to “treat people the way you want to be treated.”
“He seems to have followed that advice,” John McKinney said.
Prior to his 15 years as a police officer, McKinney served 12 years in the U.S. Army, where he served for a time as a helicopter crew chief. He also has served with National Guard units in New Jersey, Rhode Island and Connecticut. He said he first discovered Connecticut while working at the Army National Guard’s aviation classification repair activity depot (AVCRAD) in Groton.
He credits a lunch at Illiano’s Restaurant in Norwich with helping him discover the Norwich Police Department, where he said he accepted a job in 1999 “that turned out to be the best thing I ever did.” He’s lived in the city ever since, where he is affectionately known as “Big Mac.”
McKinney has served as a motorcycle officer, field training officer and crisis intervention officer. He is an instructor with the state’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, where he said he strives to help reduce arrest rates among the youth, especially minorities. He is also a member of the City of Norwich Diversity Committee.
McKinney fills a vacancy left by retired Sgt. James Tetreault. In addition to a deputy police chief’s position, the department has two vacant lieutenant positions. Officer Stephanie Reichart, a DARE officer, will take over McKinney’s role as school resource officer.
g.smith@theday.com
Twitter: @SmittyDay
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.