Witkos to Spend Last Day at Canton Police Department Today

It will be an emotional day for Sgt. Kevin Witkos as he spends his last day at the Canton Police Department today.

Witkos has worked for the department since Nov. 6, 1989.

“It’s certainly been a rewarding career,” Witkos said. “You never know what your day’s going to be like.”

Witkos has seen a lot over the years.

One highlight was when he and the late William J. LaDuke Jr. used a newly acquired automated external defibrillator and saved a life at 21 Dowd Ave.

“I’ll always remember that,” he said.

Witkos said another highlight was the department’s solving of a “smash and grab” at the Citgo gas station a few years ago. The suspect, who didn’t get any money because police were on scene so quickly, ran into the woods and managed to disappear in the Satan’s Kingdom area. But the department investigated the case and tracked down the suspect, who is currently incarcerated in another state, through DNA left on a cigarette at the scene.

It was great because of the newer technologies utilized, but also because the department worked together, which Witkos feels in the norm.

“It’s really a group effort,” he said, adding that the department has a good record of solving crimes. "Our clearance rate is phenomenal." 

Another highlight was when, in 1995, he was honored to carry the torch alongside an athlete from Ghana for the Special Olympics World Summer Games.

Witkos spent his formative years in Peachtree City, GA, before his family moved to Granby in 1978. He graduated from Granby Memorial High School in 1982, but not before learning a little about public service.

As a sophomore he became a member of the Granby Ambulance Association and a year later his mother suggested he might like to be a police officer. No one in the family was in that line of work, but he knew a school secretary whose husband w,as a state trooper. She arranged a ride-along.

Years later he remembered the words of former Granby Police Chief Terrance N. Treschuk, who said police work is the only job with all of the following four aspects — you can help bring a life into this world, save a life, judiciously take a life and have your life taken from you.

“I always remembered that,” said Witkos, adding that it’s an incredible responsibility. “Along with that, you get the opportunity to do a lot of cool things.”

He was sworn in four days after his 20th birthday, working part-time first in Farmington and then in Granby for five years, working at a bank full-time in the 1980s before he applied for the Canton job.

His time on the police force has turned out to be a family affair for Witkos. He met his wife Esther while assigned to the Collinsville Fire Department Inc. Jamboree in 1993. His children K.C., 14, and Kyra, 15, have grown up around the job. 

“The kids are so comfortable with police,” Witkos said.

The other day, his son even expressed interest in being an officer.

“I guess [that's when] you know you’ve been a good role model,” Witkos said.

Witkos said several factors led to his decision to retire.

One was the Board of Selectmen’s decision to open the police department’s second-in-command position of captain to outside the department.

Then, while on patrol, he saw the for sale sign on the Fireplace Café on River Street. He and his wife were thinking of purchasing it when they found out Canton resident Gregory Boyko was also looking at it. The two ended up purchasing it together and the Witkos’ will run a pub in the building. They plan to dub the establishment "Wilson’s Pub" in honor of the late William H., or Billy Wilson Jr.

Witkos said his pension will help pay for the renovations. But to take care of his family, he plans to obtain another full-time job, but not in police work.

Of course, he’s also the current 8th District state senator, and the recent whirlwind end of the session helped keep his mind off the end off the upcoming last day.

The change will be a big one for the 48-year-old Witkos and his family.

“It’s a big life changer for everyone in the family,” Witkos said.

Police Chief Christopher Arciero said Witkos helped ease his transition from the state police to town.

“I’ll miss him on a personal and professional level,” Arciero said. “He well-served the community — businesses and residents in town.”

Retired Police Chief and current Selectman Lowell Humphrey said Witkos was an asset to the department.

“I thank Kevin for his service and wish him the best in his new endeavor,” Humphrey said. “Kevin and I served together for some 22 years and he certainly made life interesting, coming forward with a seemingly endless list of initiatives and ideas to expand department services to Canton residents and enhance the wellbeing of our officers.”

Witkos said the job has been rewarding in another way, the relationships he’s developed with members of the community, other officers, even those he’s arrested who later thanked him for helping change their course of action

“You make a lot of friends along the way,” he said.