Joe Kenda is a celebrated American detective known for his service as a lieutenant in the Colorado Springs Police Department solving over 356 homicide cases in his 23-year career. He is a television personality, consultant, and author with an estimated net worth of $3 million.
Joe Kenda’s Personal Life
Joseph Patrick Kenda popularly known as Joe Kenda was born on 28 August 1946 in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. He went to Greensburg Central Catholic High School and graduated from Ohio State University, University of Pittsburgh with a BA in political science. He earned his master’s degree in international relations from Ohio State University in 1970.
He currently resides in Tidewater, Virginia with his partner Kathy Kenda, and their two children Kris and Dan. The couple met in Greensburg Central catholic high school and got married on December 26, 1967. Joe and his family have been featured on two episodes of The Homicide Hunter Married to the Job which was aired on February 6 2019 and in the series finale The End on January 29, 2020.
Details of Joe Kenda’s Career Life
Joe Kenda has been in law enforcement for over 25 years investigating and compelling stories in the police force before he ventured into a television career. he has ventured into law enforcement, a television career, consulting roles on unresolved criminal cases, and book royalties.
Joe worked at his father’s trucking business and joined the Colorado Springs Police Department in 1973 and by 1977, he was promoted to detective and was assigned to burglary division before retiring in 1996 as a lieutenant after two decades. He took a voluntary case of attempted murder from veteran detectives and successfully solved the case which resulted in him being moved to the police department’s homicide unit. In 1980, he was promoted to sergeant and returned to homicide in 1984. He worked as a bus operator in a special needs school from 1998 to 2008. He has dedicated 25 years to conducting criminal investigations and solving violent crimes due to his experience in solving 92% of homicide cases.
Joe earned certifications as an instructor in Colorado for Criminal Investigations, Patrol Operations, Advanced Criminal Investigations, Specialized Patrol Operations, and Multi-Jurisdictional Investigations. He was featured in the crime documentary series Homicide Hunter which gained him worldwide recognition. He has been featured on WGN Morning News as Lt Joe Kenda in 2019, hosted I Got Away with It in 2014, and a Netflix Mystery Movie Handsome in 2017.
Joe is currently an active member of the executive board of the American Investigative Society of Cold Cases and advising agencies on unresolved cases. He has written several books based on his experiences such as Killer Triggers, First Do No Harm, all is Not Forgiven and I Will Find You Solving Killer Cases from My Life Fighting Crime. After his retirement, two unsolved cases he had investigated during his career were solved with the use of DNA in 2021 and the homicides of Darlene Krashoc in 1897 and 1988 of Mary Lynn Vialpando. In 2021, the series American Detective was premiered on Discovery+.