Officers and employees of the Bellefontaine Police Department offer a final salute to retiring Detective Blake Kenner Friday, Feb. 10, for his more than 30 years of service to the department following his April 20,1992, hire date. A retirement reception followed at the Bellefontaine City Council chambers. After the reception, Detective Kenner said his last day on the job concluded with his son and fellow BPD Officer Blake Kenner II driving him home in a police car. When they arrived home, his friend and co-worker, Administrative Secretary Danielle Meek, provided the honors of answering his last call on the radio. She quoted a daily prayer for officer and community safety that the detective has shared on the in-car computers for more than 15 years. That prayer is inscribed on a plaque that the new retiree gifted to the department “to cover the whole police department for years to come,” the 1984 Bellefontaine High School graduate said. “My final salute and last call proved be pretty emotional for me. I’ll miss my day-to-day relationships with my co-workers and the public.” As a child growing up in Lima, and later moving to Bellefontaine in 1978 with his family, Detective Kenner said he knew he wanted to be a police officer. “I always looked up to police officers, from a young age.” Now the city resident said he is looking forward to mentoring the next generation and his “grandpappy time” with his six grandchildren, ages 6 months to 7 years old. (KAILYNN KENNER PHOTO)