Beyond the Badge – Officer Tim Kuenning

By Bonneville Denver on September 6, 2017

This week, we salute Office Tim Kuenning of the Northglenn Police Department. Officer Kuenning has been a police officer with the Northglenn Police Department for almost 6 years. When he was hired in June of 2011 by the Northglenn PD, he accomplished a childhood dream of becoming a police officer.

Officer Kuenning loves being a police officer. Working outside, working with people to solve community problems, helping people in trouble, the variety of the job from day to day, and the potential for excitement are all things Officer Kuenning enjoys about the job. He is a motivated and productive officer who stays busy every single day. Officer Kuenning has made at least 100 custodial arrests in each of the calendar years he has worked with the police department. He loves to help his co-workers, and seeks to make the community as safe as possible through detection of criminal acts in progress.

Officer Kuenning loves to bring people on ride alongs. He has brought many of his friends on ride alongs, but also loves to show citizens or people interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement why the job is so fun and exciting. He involves himself in the community through events such as Kops vs Kids basketball games, National Night Out, Safe Streets Halloween, and other local, community events.

Officer Kuenning has conducted training in a variety of areas, to include SWAT training, street crime enforcement, ARIDE, and CIT.

One night on patrol, Officer Kuenning was driving back to the police department from the jail after a transport. Officer Kuenning noticed three cars on the side of the road near Colorado Blvd and Highway 7. Officer Kuenning pulled over to see if anyone needed help. He noticed the people who had pulled over were attempting to keep two dogs from running on the highway. One of the friendly dogs trotted over to Officer Kuenning, sat down next to him, and looked up at him as if to say, “Ok, where are we are going from here?” He ended up adopting one of the dogs, and named her Chara. The other dog was adopted as well.

On a different night, in September of 2014, Officer Kuenning responded to an apartment complex on a report of a snake inside of a unit. He responded with several other officers and successfully retrieved the snake from off of the kitchen table. The snake was a ball python. This call is a perfect example of the variety that comes with police work, and why Officer Kuenning loves being a police officer.

During Officer Kuenning’s tenure with the police department, he has been involved in several dangerous situations in which he received awards. In October of 2012, he responded with several other officers to a suicidal male with a gun. During the incident, gunfire was exchanged between other officers and the suspect. Though Officer Kuenning was not directly involved in the gunfire, he received a Meritorious Service Award from the police department. In December of 2015, Officer Kuenning provided cover to a fellow officer on a traffic stop. During the course of the traffic stop, he attempted to stop and arrest a passenger with a felony warrant. The passenger attempted to flee on foot. During the foot pursuit, the suspect retrieved a handgun from his front waistband. The suspect turned and fired 5 shots at Officer Kuenning, hitting him twice in his bullet resistant vest. Officer Kuenning was able to return fire, and struck the suspect. Though Officer Kuenning had been hit and had sustained a serious bruise from the impact of the bullets, he remained calm and was able to radio for assistance, including badly needed medical attention for the suspect. The suspect survived, thanks to the efforts of the North Metro Fire Department, and the responding officers who came to help Officer Kuenning and the suspect. Officer Kuenning has demonstrated his ability to stay calm and maintain control over a situation, even under extreme stress.

While Officer Kuenning is not at work, he likes to stay busy. He is active in his church, volunteering to provide security oversight for church services. Officer Kuenning also plays guitar with his church’s worship band. Officer Kuenning enjoys activities outside such as recreational team sports, camping, and hiking. Most especially, he enjoys mountain biking the local trails in the foothills. During the summer, Officer Kuenning enjoys going to some of the mountain ski resorts to do downhill mountain biking. When he is at home, he enjoys playing with Chara, doing home improvement projects, working out, and hosting friends for movie nights or sporting events.

We’re proud to recognize Officer Tim Kuenning, Northglenn PD…for going Beyond the Badge.

Around the site