The Utica Police Department is a New York State-accredited agency, meaning they're found to be meeting or exceeding quality expectations in the field.

What You Need To Know

  • Utica Police Chief Mark Williams comes from a family dedicated to policing and has been in law enforcement for more than 30 years

  • Williams wants a diverse department dedicated to justice and safety for everyone, and thinks some things should change in Utica

  • Williams says the Utica PD requires frontline supervising, and other departments should, too

"Despite the fact that we are accredited, despite the fact that our people are well-trained, and the fact that we discipline our officers, all it is takes is one bad day by a police officer, and he could ruin the reputation of the police department," said Utica Police Chief Mark Williams.

Williams comes from a family dedicated to policing. He's been in law enforcement for more than 30 years, and been chief for more than a decade.

"It's in our family blood," he said.

Williams wants a diverse department dedicated to justice and safety for everyone, and thinks some things should change.

For one, Williams says they're required to hire one of the top three scorers on the civil service exam. 

"So I could have three candidates that we're not necessarily thrilled about, but in order to move down the rest of the list and keep hiring, I may have to offer employment to one of those top three," he said.

Sometimes, candidates are discouraged from the job.

"We see very quickly with the background investigations that some people have an idea of what policing is all about," said Williams. "Sometimes it takes that honest discussion between us and the candidate saying that 'you may not be qualified for it.' "

Williams says the Utica PD requires frontline supervising, and other departments should, too.

"They can either get that officer help or straighten him out," Williams said, "because it suddenly becomes a big problem."

He thinks establishing national standards may be helpful as well.