Upholding the law?

On August 16 2007, Robert Kennedy, 46, of Waterbury, turned himself in to police after learning he had a warrent for his arrest. The former Waterbury police lieutenant is facing more charges stemming from a case involving an underage boy.

In May 2007, Carl Gemino, 62, the vice president of Gem Manufacturing and then Lt Robert Kennedy were arrested along with four other men in connection with a prostitution ring that involved a 15 year-old boy. The investigation began when the boy's father expressed his concerns about his son hanging out late at night near two parks that are known for prostitution.

During several interviews, the boy divulged information that he had numerous sexual encounters with both Kennedy and Gemino. He also stated that it was Gemino who picked him at several locations and introduced him to the underworld of homosexuals paying for sex.

Kennedy joined the Waterbury Police Department in 1995 and had worked in training divisions, patrol and community relations and in December 2006, he been promoted to lieutenant and had been working as a partol supervisor on the evening shift. The 15 year-old stated to investigators, that "Rob" had taken him to a Willow St home, while still in his uniform, for their first sexual encounter. The boy stated that on another date, he forced him to have sex while they were in Kennedy's police cruiser. Investigators had found the boy's phone number on Kennedy's cell phone.

The department placed Kennedy on paid administrative leave and obtained a search warrent for his home where a computer was seized. He is charged with first-degree sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to a minor and was freed on $500,000 bond. Gemino was charged with 19 counts of second degree sexual assault and ten counts of risk of injury to a minor and freed on $750,000 bond.

Kennedy's new charges stem from what was found on his computer and involve possession of child pornography. A forensic examination of his computer found photos of both boy and girl children, depicted in sexual poses and taking part in sexual acts. Kennedy's attorney did not return call's seeking comment and has made no comment.

Pedofiles come in all shapes, ages and sizes and certainly, from all walks of life. The allegations that a police officer in his fourties and while in uniform was forcing sex with an underage boy are more than shocking. The discovery of child porn on his computer isn't that shocking to me, I would have expected to find it much as I expect the investigators probably did. Pedofiles may lurk in the shadows but this case proves that they all can find a way to have access to children if they wish. I can only hope that if he is convicted, he will spend many years in isolation, "for his own protection," to contemplate the crime he commited.