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Post by Clipper on Aug 13, 2013 13:43:49 GMT -5
www.wktv.com/news/local/UPD-ramps-up-recruitment-efforts-219328461.htmlI sympathize with the plight of the department, but with the residency requirement, do they think there are very many out there from "other departments" that live IN the city, and that would want to sign on in a city where they would be exposed to "urban combat" on a regular basis? If I lived in Utica, and was a police officer in Ilion, or Waterville, why would I want to leave that job to expose myself to the dangers of working in the UPD? Why would I want to leave a routine of writing traffic tickets, answering relatively mundane calls for assistance, and facing only occasional violent crime? It sounds to me like they will have to once more open discussion on waiving the residency requirement, or will have to wait for an academy class to graduate enough city residents to satisfy their requirement for new recruits. I would feel safer serving in Afghanistan than I would working as a cop in an urban area in recent years. On the other hand, those officers that are working NOW, will be put in more and more danger as the ranks dwindle and there are fewer officers on the street. I love that city, but it is rapidly becoming something that I don't even recognize any more. Would I be a cop in Utica? Hell NO. May the good Lord watch over them.
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Post by bobbbiez on Aug 13, 2013 21:30:34 GMT -5
 I said this would happen when I and others addressed the common council last April when they cut the UPD drastically. Utica had candidates graduating from the police academy who were not hired and went on to work in other areas after Uticans paid for their education. Real nice slap in the face and definitely not a smart thing to do. No need to go looking for recruits outside of Utica. There are plenty of qualified young people living in Utica that will be taking the test in November. Some already are working in the security field. I know seven, young men and women, personally who will make excellent officers. Their only fear is that the UPD is not a stable position when left in the hands of a common council who dictates what the UPD needs are and have no idea what they're doing, which is being proved at present as the recruits they laid off are no longer available so now there is this desperate push for a test for new recruits. Clip, I disagree with you as far as being a cop in Utica. Sure the streets today are much more dangerous then in years gone by but there are many other cities and states that are much more dangerous then Utica. Those looking to take the test in November are well aware of the dangers and because being a cop is their true desire they are willing to put that badge and uniform on and work in the city they were raised in as were the last recruits the common council laid off were. 
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Post by Clipper on Aug 14, 2013 9:29:54 GMT -5
BZ, I am sure there are dedicated souls out there that will take the job, but regardless of whether there are cities that are much more dangerous than Utica, being a cop in Utica in recent years is far more dangerous than it was in the city that I left 11 yrs ago and it is getting worse instead of better. Afghanistan is much more dangerous than Utica too, but we aren't recruiting Marines, we are recruiting Utica cops. We can only count our blessings that there ARE young men out there that will take on the challenge and sign up to become part of the UPD. I knew a lot of the officers when I ran the transportation branch at the OD at night and traveled around the city in the middle of the night checking the progress of our delivery drivers. They are a fine and brave bunch of guys. May God watch over them and keep them safe.
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Post by bobbbiez on Aug 14, 2013 21:20:24 GMT -5
Clip, there ARE qualified young men and women in Utica who will line up to take the test in November as there was at the last test that was given where our city officials hired them and then let them go to other areas after we paid for their schooling and training. Having both my boys on the force for 24 & 25 years they have witnessed first hand how the danger on the streets has progressed but if you asked them if they would have given their job up because of the danger it would be a definite no. As with my boys most of these young men and women at a very early age grew up wanting to be a police officer when they became of age. Most all have gone to college to obtain a degree in criminal justice so they could succeed in their live time desire since having that degree pushes them up on the civil service list to be chosen as a recruit. As I stated before some already have armed security positions already (three I know personally are women) and will be there in November to take the test in their hope of getting on the UPD and in hope once chosen as a cadet they will not be let go when the budget issue arises again. They fear that more then they do the danger on the streets.
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Post by Ralph on Aug 20, 2013 3:42:13 GMT -5
But it will be a minimum of two years before they are out of the academy and left to patrol alone on the streets as qualified LEO's In the meantime others will retire or transfer, go to the SP (as some have done) or just leave because of all the BS. Hopefully someone down there has a back up plan. The City is NOT public safety friendly anymore.  |
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Post by bobbbiez on Aug 20, 2013 23:30:54 GMT -5
Ralph, Chief Williams is anticipating some retirements in the next three years so there is plenty of time to train new recruits. The Police Academy is a six month program and then the cadets will go through three months of field training with the UPD. From what I'm hearing come November's test there will be plenty of qualified prospects (some already working in a armed security positions)taking the test who want to be hired by the UPD and who live in the city of Utica. The problem lays with the common council in their decision to lay off after the cadets are trained and are hired. That's exactly what happened last April and now there is a rush to find more recruits. Doesn't make any sense what so ever but that's what we have for council people....don't know their a**es from a hole in the ground.
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Post by denise on Aug 22, 2013 13:05:31 GMT -5
I think the most important thing is to attract the best qualified personnel. Location of residence absolutely needs to be secondary.
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Post by bobbbiez on Aug 22, 2013 16:53:06 GMT -5
Denise, location of residence is part of the requirements which helps a cadet to be chosen off the civil service list. Having a degree in criminal justice and having military service also helps a cadet to be chosen. I agree with all requirements and I personally feel those living in the city should get first preference. When they live in the city they work in they take more pride in the areas they patrol. Plus, if they want to work for and get pay by Utica then they should be willing to pay back into the city that hired them. My two boys have no problem with that and their loyalty and dedication is to the city that they were born in and who hired them. No reason what so ever to look for cadets out of the city when we have highly qualified young men and women living right here. We have a force in the UPD men/women to be proud of and all were chosen from city residents.
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Post by denise on Aug 23, 2013 9:23:16 GMT -5
Sad. Glad Watertown operates differently and puts qualifications as the #1 priority. We have a very fine Police Department. There has never been any problems/complaints/issues with the personnel residing outside City Limits. The City is very well protected.
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Post by dave on Aug 23, 2013 9:41:42 GMT -5
I guess if I were in charge, I'd set up a system to find the very finest candidates, and look first among those living in the municipality that would hire them. I.e., only when I had two equal candidates would I favor the one from inside the city. But I don't know if that is a practical solution given civil service rules.
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Post by bobbbiez on Aug 23, 2013 12:30:45 GMT -5
Sad. Glad Watertown operates differently and puts qualifications as the #1 priority. We have a very fine Police Department. There has never been any problems/complaints/issues with the personnel residing outside City Limits. The City is very well protected. Dennis, there is no comparing the city of Watertown with the population of approximately 27,000 to the city of Utica with the population of approximately 64,000. Watertown having that population and I'm sure many are military that come and go is forced to look for candidates in their rural areas. Not so with Utica. Nothing sad about it. Utica has a police force to be proud of and I'm sure faces much more in criminal activities then in Watertown. |
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Post by bobbbiez on Aug 23, 2013 12:53:16 GMT -5
I guess if I were in charge, I'd set up a system to find the very finest candidates, and look first among those living in the municipality that would hire them. I.e., only when I had two equal candidates would I favor the one from inside the city. But I don't know if that is a practical solution given civil service rules. Dave, that is exactly how the civil service works. The top equal scorers in the civil service test are chosen first and then the requirements come into play. That is when residency, college degrees, and military services will decide who the chosen cadets will be. Cadets also have to pass all health requirements and a grueling agility test. I can safely say the cadets chosen are the most qualified chosen.  |
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Post by Ralph on Aug 24, 2013 2:00:33 GMT -5
In the end when they take the position they must either live in the city or relocate here.
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I said this would happen when I and others addressed the common council last April when they cut the UPD drastically. Utica had candidates graduating from the police academy who were not hired and went on to work in other areas after Uticans paid for their education. Real nice slap in the face and definitely not a smart thing to do. 
