For decades, he was not only a law enforcement fixture in Kenney, he also served the interests of Kenney residents as a member of the village board.

Harold Palmer was recently presented with a plaque thanking him for his 40 years of service to the Village of Kenney. He retired and has officially hung up his hat as village board trustee. 

He began his career with the Village of Kenney as a village board trustee in 1977.  And, he hasn’t just served as a trustee over the years, he also ended up being appointed to serve as the village marshal.  

Harold recalled that, when he first began as Kenney village marshal, it was essentially a volunteer job; he didn’t get paid. He said he also provided his own car, the insurance and also gas for doing patrol work. 

Many would wonder why he would do it? 

“Because I enjoyed it,” he said. “I had being a policeman in my blood. I bought all of my cars and made police cars out of them.”

 “I installed lights, sirens, and radios and did it all myself.”

The village did begin paying Harold a small wage after a couple of years on patrol . He said the village also eventually reimbursed him for some of the gas he used every once in a while.  

During the same time he was village marshal, Palmer also worked for 20 years at the Lincoln Correctional Center as a corrections officer and lieutenant. 

“On my days off from the prison I would patrol,” he said.  

He served as village marshal for 21 years, retiring in 1998. After retiring, he continued his role as village trustee. 

Harold and his wife Beverly have been married for 56 years and reside in Kenney. Together they had two children Kim McCauley of Arizona and the late Wayne Palmer. 

Harold collects photos of police cars and has over 800.  Friends also send him photos from their travels, and he has photos of police cars from the places his daughter has lived.