Ken Hinton was born to be a police officer, and he was born to become chief of police of the Ridgway Borough Police Department.

His parents didn’t always believe that, however. If they had their say, he would have become a carpenter like was more common in the family.

“When I went to the U.S. Air Force, I found my calling,” Hinton said. “I love to serve. Was I born to be a police officer? Yes.”

After 4.5 years in the military, Hinton stayed in the Wichita, Kan., area and worked for multiple police departments before moving back to Pennsylvania to work part-time at his hometown Ridgway Borough Police Department.

“The goal was to get into full-time police work,” he said. “I had three job offers on the same day. Warren was the best option for our family.”

Twenty-one years later, in 2016, he retired as a sergeant of the City of Warren Police Department.

From a junior patrolman, former Warren police chief the late Richard Poorman’s “grunt,” member of the task force, crime prevention, traffic patrol, criminal investigations, F.O.P. president, head of the police union bargaining unit, and sergeant, “I had a lot of great mentors in my career, a lot of great opportunities in my career,” said Hinton.

One of the first of those mentors was former Ridgway chief the late Burton Shavers, who told him, “‘if this is going to be your career, you need to be involved in your community,'” said Hinton.

And Hinton was, including being a volunteer football coach for Warren Area High School for 19 years.

“Police officers need to be of high moral character and they need to be above reproach,” said Hinton. “Warren was where I needed to be. People got to see me. They got to see Ken Hinton the dad, Ken Hinton the husband. I can be a police officer, and I can also be a great dad. My heart breaks to leave that community, but it’s mended to come to another great community. Now I have the opportunity to serve the Ridgway community. It’s a storybook ending to my career in law enforcement to be honest.”

Hinton has worked as the City of Warren building code inspector and at Northwest Bank since 2016, and he’s had his doubts about whether his law enforcement career was over, losing an election bid for Warren County sheriff a year ago.

“I just don’t want to be the chief of police to be the chief of police,” he said.

After a long and distinguished career, it’s intangibles that matter most to Hinton.

“Why is the Lord putting this in front of me? There’s a reason,” said Hinton. “This is my opportunity to give something back. It would be like a bookend to my career (from Ridgway to Ridgway).”

Using all of the advice and mentorship he’s been given throughout his career, Hinton will now be “the one starting the important conversations,” he said. “I had a lot of influential people in my life. I listened. This all happened because I’m ready,” added Hinton. “I don’t take it lightly. It’s a pretty stout responsibility. It’s more than just being a boss. You have people’s lives in your hands, people’s futures.

“My goal as a chief is a lot like my goal as a coach,” he said. “As we journey through our lives as police officers, sergeants, or police chiefs, we have encounters with people every single day. It doesn’t have to be a negative experience in their life.”

If you know Ken, you know his role as a Warren community member wasn’t forced. As comfortable as thousands of conversations started in Warren, so was a recent trip to Joe’s Bakery in Ridgway.

“Either they know me directly or they know my dad or brother,” he said.

Growing up in Ridgway, “my mom and dad are great people,” he said. “Mom ran a daycare. My dad was a meat cutter. He worked at Bell’s grocery store. He would always give the extra effort. Customers would switch stores because of him.”

Even today, “if my dad goes to the grocery store, it takes forever,” said Ken, who is the same exact way. The social adjustment of he and his wife, Fy, moving to Ridgway won’t be a difficult one.

With Ken Jr. now living “at home” with his father, Ken Sr. no longer talks of his son becoming a contractor.

“The key to success is not money,” Hinton said his father has told him, “it’s to find a job you have passion for, and you will never work a day in your life.

“My dad is absolutely ecstatic,” said Hinton. “‘Kenner, you are the chief of police; it is my honor to have you here.'”