Lum names deputy

Newly-named Kaua‘i Police Chief K.C. Lum wasted no time in surprising officers in the Kaua‘i Police Department, jumping a police officer up the ranks to be his deputy chief.

But his choice, Ron Venneman, is unlike any other KPD officer in the roughly 120-member department.

“Maybe I’m unorthodox,” the chief said yesterday, but “look at his resume.

“I always had in the back of my mind (Venneman) would be a good addition to the administration of this department,” Lum said. “I essentially look for experience and ability.”

And experience Venneman has.

Venneman has been a cop for thirty years, just under seven of which have been at KPD.

He spent 21 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, in a myriad of different areas, including narcotics, gangs, undercover roles, stakeouts, and dignitary and witness protection. He spent time as a detective in robbery-homicide, juvenile unit, and as a detective supervisor in the crime-against-persons unit.

Before that, he served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and spent 26 years in the reserves, where he also served in supervisory positions.

Venneman had also been a Narcotics and Vice Criminal Investigator in the Marine Corps and Military Police Narcotics Detection Dog Handler during his time in the military.

“When he first came in and I saw his resume almost seven years ago,” Lum said, “I knew he had good experiences that local cops just don’t have.”

“His experience (in LAPD) in one year was about ten years locally, because of the number and (type) of cases he worked,” Lum added.

After his retirement from the LAPD, Venneman rejoined the law enforcement community in the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office for three years, before moving to Kaua‘i.

Although he had intended to retire when he moved to Kaua‘i nine years ago, Venneman returned to law enforcement, joining the Kaua‘i Police Department.

“This was home to my girls,” said Venneman on his choice of moving to Kaua‘i. His wife, Audrey is a teacher and his wife and three children spent the summer on Kaua‘i for most of the last 20 years.

After moving here, he found he wasn’t ready to retire just yet.

“It’s what I know and love,” Venneman said. Plus, “with kids still going to school, you can’t live on your retirement.”

When asked to compare KPD and LAPD, Venneman refused. “There’s no way to compare the two.”

It’s a 12,000-member force compared to around 200, he said.

“But being a policeman is serving your community. There’s no difference there,” he added.

Asked what he would bring to the second-in-command job, Venneman continued, “My prior experience is going to give me a different insight into the position.”

He said he has experience, both at KPD and in the military, at directing operations and handling discipline, which is the majority of the job.

Venneman said his main priority is to boost morale and to combat drugs.

“We need to reunite the department and move forward in a different direction,” he said. We have really good people in this department. We need to all pull together.”

Asked what he brings to KPD’s stated main priority, drugs, Venneman said he’s been battling drug dealers since his first undercover days in Los Angeles.

“My first tour in Narcotics was in 1972,” he said. “I’ve been doing this since” then.

Venneman is also the only drug recognition expert at KPD.

The recognition program, he said, is a 12-step process using an interview, observations, and medical evaluations to identify if a person is on drugs and what kind of drugs he or she is on.

Venneman, previously a Traffic Crash Reconstruction Investigator in the Traffic Safety Unit and the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program Coordinator, used his expertise about four times a month, primarily on suspected drivers under the influence of drugs, he said.

Venneman and his wife, Audrey, have three children. They live in Ha‘ena.

Tom Finnegan, staff writer, may be reached at 245-3681, Ext. 252 or e-mail mailto:tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.