UPD's "chief" concerns

By By JOLEEN FERRIS

Story Created: Jun 4, 2008 at 11:11 AM EST

Story Updated: Jun 4, 2008 at 5:04 PM EST

UTICA - Two-thirds of the Utica Police Department's leadership is gone, and the remaining third might not be far behind. Police Chief C. Allen Pylman resigned last month, Deputy Chief Richard Stemmer went the month before, and Deputy Chief Pasquale Benzo has set the wheels in motion for possible retirement.

So now the question is, will both deputies be replaced?

The Utica Common Council voted a few years ago to go with just one Deputy Chief when either Stemmer or Benzo retired. Now, though, there are some on the council thinking that maybe the department needs the two deputy chiefs and the council is going to take it up Wednesday night.

The City Public Safety Commissioner thinks the department does need to deputies. Adding a deputy chief would require unanimous approval by the council, because Wednesday night's the first night it's being introduced .

If the support isn't there, the ordinance could be placed into committee and then next time in two weeks, it would only require six of the nine council people to support it.

If the ordinance passes, Commissioner LaBella says the Deputy Chief would be chosen from a civil service list, which he says already exists.
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