Utica

Utica mayor swears in deputy chief

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Staff Writer

UTICA — Former Utica Police Sgt. Sean Coady needs new business cards to go with the new badge and title he received at the Aug. 14 City Council meting.

Coady traded in his sergeant title and badge to become the department’s first deputy chief when Mayor Jacqueline Noonan swore him in and his wife pinned his new badge on him as colleagues, friends and family applauded.

“It was great to have my family there, and I look forward to the new position in the department,” Coady said. “It’s exciting to have a new position in the department with more responsibilities and a bigger say in the direction things go.”

Police Chief David Faber said the appointment of Coady, who has been with Utica police for 17 years, is an honor well earned.

“It’s a great honor for me to present Sgt. Coady as the first deputy chief with the city of Utica,” Faber said during the meeting. “It’s an honor to be a part of appointing the first deputy chief for the city of Utica.”

Coady’s swearing-in as the department’s first deputy chief was scheduled for July 1, but the process was delayed as the details of creating the new position were ironed out.

“I delayed it for 30 days to give it time for the job description to go to council,” Noonan said last month. “We’re taking it more leisurely than originally expected. Surely by the August meeting, we’ll move ahead.”

The announcement of Coady as the deputy chief was made at the City Council’s May 8 meeting after then-acting Chief Faber was formally appointed as the department’s full-time head.

“We applaud our chief for taking and synthesizing information from our department and other departments to make this happen,” Noonan said of the role Faber played in crafting the deputy chief position and its place within his department.

Faber noted increased flexibility and manpower on the road as the two largest benefits of having a deputy chief as part of the department’s command structure.

The addition of a deputy chief allows the department to have Faber or Coady on duty 16 hours a day and free the shift sergeants up for more work outside the station.

“A shift sergeant is responsible for running the shift and what is going on on the streets,” Faber said.

“We want as many officers as possible out on the streets,” Faber added. “So the deputy chief would be very beneficial to the department and the residents.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1029.