The following article is part of an advertising package on The Logan Journal paid for by the Bennie Kinney Campaign.
All three Logan County Jailers under whom Bennie Kinney has served as a deputy have promoted him. Now, Kinney is hoping voters award him the ultimate promotion.
He was hired to work in the Logan County Detention Center by long-time Jailer Bill Jenkins in 2008, after having served in the U.S. Navy for four years through 2007. Retired law enforcement officer Jim Ray served as interim jailer upon Jenkins’ resigning before his final term ended. The current jailer, Phil Gregory, promoted him to Chief Deputy, a position Kinney currently holds.
Now Kinney is running for jailer following Gregory’s decision to run for county judge-executive instead of seeking another term at the detention center.
Deputy Kinney is one of the candidates for the Republican nomination for jailer in Tuesday’s primary election.
Bennie Kinney went to high school in Pennsylvania before his family moved to Logan County. “I first enlisted in the Navy at 16 years old,” he says. “After graduating high school, and at the age of 17, I left for Basic Training in Great Lakes, Ill.
After Basic he went to Culinary Specialist "A" School at Lackland Airforce Base and graduated with Honors as the top graduate. He also won "Accelerated Petty Officer" award, which propelled him to the rank of E-4.
After "A" School he was assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71, which was out to sea during Operation Enduring Freedom in the Persian Gulf. Once aboard, he was quickly promoted to the Cargo Petty Officer. He was in charge of maintaining and ordering the ship’s food supply (over $3 million dollars worth of goods at any given moment). He was then awarded "Blue Jacket of the Quarter.
Other decorations that he received were:
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
“The Military helped make me the man I am today,” he notes. “There is a sign going into the jail ‘Discipline Starts Here.’ The discipline and structure the Navy showed me is a huge part of what I try to bring to the jail and to the Inmate population.”
He has taken extensive training conducted by the Kentucky Department of Corrections. Examples of some of the training are: mental health awareness, suicide prevention, CPR, First AID, Fentanyl awareness, prisoner transportation, gang awareness and much more.
He also attended Jailer Training, which is mandatory for jailers. This training includes: avoiding and mitigating legal issues, employee hiring and disciplinary training, workers compensation, open record laws, leadership training and more.
He has had interrogation and interview training that was conducted by the FBI.
Kinney has received crime scene investigator training with the Kentucky State Police, and currently serve as the jail’s investigator.
“One of my biggest passions is teaching, and the Detention Center has allowed me to do that as I train the new jail staff,” he notes. “I have been a law enforcement instructor with the NRA since 2010. I am certified to teach and certify all Law Enforcement in the use of handgun and shotgun I am also a Taser, Pepperball, and adani body scanner instructor, a Patrol Rifle instructor through the Kentucky Department of Corrections and an OC instructor with Safariland.”
Kinney is married to the former Tiffany Garcia, who is employed at Logan Aluminum. They have three daughters—Neveah Dearmond, a graduate of Logan County High School who plays volleyball for Brescia University; Annika Garcia, a sophomore at LCHS; and 5-year-old Amelia Kinney, who attends Russellville Christian School.
He has been involved in Logan County Republican politics for several years and is a Logan County Precinct Captain.
He wants to expand work programs and worship services at the jail.
“Campaigning has allowed me to meet many people all around Logan County and to get involved in many worthwhile causes in the process,” Bennie Kenney says.
Now it’s up to Logan County Republican voters Tuesday to determine if he makes the next step toward another promotion.