Utica’s new police chief shares plans, ideas for department’s future

UTICA — Utica is welcoming its new police chief, who already has plans in line for the city in the near future.

At the last City Council meeting, Matthew Kaluzny was formally appointed as chief. At the upcoming June 13 City Council meeting, he will be formally pinned and acknowledged. He put together some future plans that he presented to his department members May 30 and has shared them in hopes that the community, too, helps make them possible.

Kaluzny has served the city of Utica since 2005 and had been deputy chief since last year. He was a sergeant from 2017 to 2022 and Utica Police and Fire Retirement Systems trustee since 2011. A U.S. Army veteran, he has more than 25 years of combined military and civilian law enforcement experience.

He has earned a Master of Public Administration from Oakland University, a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice from Michigan State University and a graduate certificate in criminal justice from the FBI National Academy.

He has been married to his wife, Lisa, for 18 years, and they have two boys ages 13 and 9.  They also have two shiba inu dogs. 

“We enjoy traveling, sons’ sports (hockey, soccer), spending time on our boat,” he said via email.

He said he is honored to have been entrusted by the mayor and City Council to lead the department. 

“The support of Mayor Gus Calandrino and the entire City Council have made the transition to this position an easy process. Our goal as a department is to provide excellent public service and law enforcement to the community, with the goal of keeping Utica a safe place to live, work and play,” he said.

He said the department hopes to provide this service by utilizing the best practices in law enforcement, continuous improvement in leadership and professionalism, and in partnership with the community.

“This is not my police department. This department belongs to the men and women of the Utica Police Department. It is my job, as their chief, to ensure that they have every tool available to respond to our citizens’ needs and keep them safe. The department’s success is made by them,” he said.

He said his goals are to incorporate technology and give officers the best tools available to make their jobs easier while ensuring they can address public safety needs efficiently. He also wants to increase officer training using a combination of online learning, in-house training and professional courses. He said he will continue professional development for the department’s command staff by sending them to staff and command schools.

He said that the department is going to be fully staffed by April of next year and that he is looking forward to giving officers opportunities to be attached to outside task forces.

“Lastly, I would like to thank outgoing Chief Sean Coady. Chief Coady has been an amazing mentor through the years, and I cannot thank him enough for his trust and faith in me, as I would not be where I am today,” he said.

Calandrino said he has worked with Kaluzny since he was a sergeant.

“I highly value our good working relationship and have much respect for him. I’m anxious to work with Chief Kaluzny to continue to advance our Police Department. The chief has a lot of great ideas about how to make our department the best it can be for our residents and our police officers, command officers, and dispatch staff,” he said in an email.