Other Police Chief candidates scored higher than LaBella
Story Created:
Jun 17, 2009 at 2:26 PM EST
Story Updated:
Jun 17, 2009 at 4:11 PM EST
UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - Both City of Utica Deputy Police Chiefs scored higher on the Civil Service exam for the chief's job than the man now occupying the Chief's office - Daniel LaBella.
NEWSChannel 2 filed a Freedom of Information Law, or, "FOIL" request on Wednesday with the city of Utica's Civil Service Department in order to obtain the civil service test scores of the city's two Deputy Police Chiefs.
Deputy Chiefs Michael Bailey and Mark Williams were passed over for the position. On Tuesday, Utica Mayor David Roefaro appointed acting Public Safety Commissioner and long-time friend Dan LaBella to the position.
Both Bailey and Williams outscored LaBella on the Civil Service exam. Bailey scored a 76; add his 7.3 points for seniority and his overall score rises to 83.3. Williams received a raw score of 80. His seniority points brought his overall score up to 88. City officials, however, stated that Williams recently took himself out of the running for Chief. Civil Service secretary Lori Rockwell said there was a small glitch in Deputy Chief Bailey's application for the Civil Service exam.
For some reason, his score appeared not on the chief's list, but the deputy chief's list. Rockwell says the most likely scenario is that Bailey mistakenly wrote the wrong code on the application. The city is attempting to clarify the issue and Rockwell says that, if the passing score turns out to be accurate, Bailey's name could end up on a civil service eligibility list for the job. The list would remain valid for up to four years.
On Tuesday, Mayor Roefaro said it was LaBella's credentials, not his friendship with the mayor, which earned him the position of city Police Chief. LaBella retired from UPD as an investigator after 21 years on the force. Bailey has 18 and a half years on; Williams, 21 and a half. The mayor also cited statistics which indicate that crime in the city is at a six-year low.
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