PEOPLE PROFILE: Ken Moore Jr. is new police recruit in Barker

BARKER January 26, 2008 01:11 am

— There are a few things about Officer Ken Moore Jr. of the Barker Police Department that come in handy for a police officer. He enjoys helping people, interacting with the community and he is from Lockport, so he knows the area.
And he has a pilot’s license.
And a master captain’s license from the Coast Guard.
Being a police officer seemed to involve everything Moore is interested in.
“It’s not really a career change, it’s a change of craft,” Moore said. “I’ve always been interested in helping people, but it really took off a couple years ago, when I was accepted to be on the Sheriff Department’s Auxiliary Marine Division.”
The captain’s license is what led Moore to the Sheriff Department. To be in the auxiliary marine division, a person has to have “peace officer” status. So, Moore went through a peace officer academy, where he met Barker Police Chief Ross Annable, who was looking for a police officer.
“He was hiring, so one thing led to the next — and here we are,” Moore said.
Originally hired Aug. 13, Moore entered the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy, which houses the peace officer academy, a week later.
Moore said before going into law enforcement, he was a pilot instructor. He flew out of local airports, mainly Akron and Genesee County. Annable said Moore is “very accomplished.”
“We’re hoping to get a grant for a boat and a plane,” Annable joked.
Moore said he would like to take his flying background and join the aviation division in the sheriff’s department. A Lockport native and resident, Moore said his family and girlfriend, Naomi Kyle, support him but are concerned about his safety.
“My girlfriends’ stepfather is a retired sheriff, so she understands the lifestyle and she supports me 100 percent,” he said.
Moore graduated Jan. 16 from the academy. At the ceremony, Moore won the Jeffrey A. Incardona Memorial Award, named in honor of a sheriff’s deputy who died in the line of duty in 1993. The award is given to the student who demonstrates the same leadership, spirit and teamwork as Incardona.
Hiring Moore was personal for Annable. “It’s a little connection for me,” Annable said. He worked with Incardona.
Summing up his new duties, Moore said there isn’t a typical day for a police officer. Instead, there’s a new set of situations and decisions each day.
Being a new police officer adds a twist.
“Every time I go out on a shift, there’s always something new, always something more that you’re learning,” he said.
Still in training, Moore accompanies a senior officer while out in the village. Annable said Moore would be on his own in about a couple of weeks.

Photos

PROTECTION: The newest member of the Barker Police Department, Officer Ken Moore Jr., puts on his vest at the Barker Village Hall. Moore graduated about a week ago from the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy.