Kenny's state trooper escort

Update: The request to the state police to assign a trooper to Sen. Kenny was made by Kathleen Crotty in her capacity as Executive Director of the Senate Democratic Office, not from the Joint Management Commission, as was originally reported. Crotty is acting chair of the JMC.

If police know what happened to state Sen. Bernard Kenny, they’re not saying. But enough scenarios exist to warrant providing him with protection from a state trooper.

The authorization to assign a trooper to Kenny was given by Captain James O’Neil, who heads up the State Government Security Bureau. It was requested by Kathleen Crotty, Executive Director of the Senate Democratic Office and Acting Chair of the Capitol Joint Management Commission.

Kenny was found by police disoriented and bleeding on a curb with what turned out to be extensive injuries. Although Kenny at first said that he tripped while jogging, police are focusing on the case as a hit-and-run.

Krotty said that she had no knowledge of whether there was anything more to the investigation and merely made the request to make sure that Sen. Kenny can get to and back from Trenton during the remainder of the session. The service will end after the final Senate session, when Kenny retires.

"It’s obviously important that Sen. Kenny be here for the balance of the session, and this is a way of making sure he arrives here and conducts business to fulfill his duties as senator," said Crotty.

O’Neil said that he would not comment on an ongoing investigation, but that they’re not ruling out any possibilities. He would not say whether any case leads led to the decision to assign protection to Kenny.

“(Providing security) is a case by case situation based on threats, based on case by case incident or justification. Not for every senator, congressman or assemblyman – there are certain extenuating circumstances that support and justify a protection detail for a certain period of time,” said O’Neil. “The investigation isn’t closed, so we are still looking into all matters and all aspects of it, and unfortunately nobody has the crystal ball.”