police chief

Batavia's new Police Chief Randy Baker sat down with us earlier today to talk about his time with the city — he's a 27-year veteran of the department — and his plans for the future. The Batavian reported on Baker's appointment a little over a week ago.

Longtime veteran of the city police force, Randy Baker, has been named the new chief of police. City Manager Jason Molino announced the appointment this morning.

Chief Baker is a 27 year veteran of the Batavia Police Department.  During his 27 year career with Batavia Police Department, he is credited as serving as a patrol officer (1981-1992), K-9 officer, youth detective (1992-2008) and patrol sergeant (2008) as well as being a member of the Emergency Response Team.

“I am very pleased with the selection process and the appointment of Randy Baker as Batavia’s new Police Chief, [said Molino]. We had a field of exceptional candidates for the position which made the final selection a very difficult decision. Chief Baker is an outstanding choice for the leader of our department. I have every confidence that Randy will quickly acclimate himself to his new responsibilities within the organization and continue his strong standing reputation for serving the needs of the community. He brings 27 years of Batavia history and community leadership, a characteristic that is invaluable. He will be a great addition to the management team, and I look forward to working with him in the future."

Molino went on to thank Lt. Eugene Jankowski who has served as acting chief since the retirement of former police chief Daryl Sehm in March.

Chief Baker lives in Oakfield with his wife, Kyle, and they have two children: Joshua, age 26 and Katie, age 23. His starting annual salary will be $75,192.

Baker will assume the position tomorrow, Tuesday. He could not be reached for comment today.

From the Daily News (Friday):

• Reporter Joanne Beck identified one of the two candidates in the running for the position of police chief as the force's 27-year veteran Sgt. Randy Baker. Beck said two sources named Baker as one of the candidates, but both requested to remain anonymous. Baker told her: "I can't comment on it." City Manager Jason Molino said he will "probably" make his choice by the end of next week, contrary to repeated news stories on WBTA that said Molino would "probably" decide by the end of this week.
• Australian filmmaker Rohan Spong is in town to interview Batavia residents for a documentary on transgenderism, "specifically teachers who transition from male to female within the American school system." Batavia was vaulted into the national news spotlight in 2006, when a Batavia High School teacher announced that he was going have a sex change. School Superintendent Richard Stutzman declined an interview with Spong. Anyone else interested in being interviewed should call Spong at (310) 382-4807. He will be here for the day.
• Genesee Speedway will host a benefit Saturday for racer Don Marsceill who was critically injured at the track last Friday. Gates open at 4:00pm, and drivers will pass their helmets through the stands to collect for Marsceill. Check out the article by Matt Surtel for more about Marsceill.
• Genesee County Farmers Market opens for the season Tuesday in the parking lot at Batavia Downs Gaming on Park Road. The market will be open from 8:00am to 5:00pm Tuesdays and Fridays through to October 24.
• Genesee County's YWCA will host more Women & Issues Luncheons. The next two will be October 1 and November 5 and cost $7 per session, and that includes lunch. Call (585) 343-5808. The article does not mention a location for the luncheons.
• Head to the Old County Courthouse on Main Street from 5:30 to 6:30pm June 17 for the Genesee County Youth Court Open House. The organization is looking to recruit new members — between 8th and 11th grade. From the article: "Youth Court is a voluntary alternative for young people who face disciplinary action through school or law enforcement." Call Jocelyn Sikorski at the Youth Bureau at (585) 344-3960 for more information.
• More than 600 people came out June 1 for an open house at Victorian Manor, the senior living community that is currently undergoing renovations that include the addition of 50 more apartments. The project should be finished by mid-July.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

Dan Fischer of WBTA reported today at noon that City Manager Jason Molino "expects" to have a police chief chosen by the end of the week. Molino declined to name either of the candidates — the search is narrowed to two — though he did say that one hailed from Genesee County, the other from somewhere else in the state, but nothing more specific. He apparently did not, for example, say in which part of the state the out-of-county candidate resides.

Lt. Eugene Jankowski has been acting as chief since the retirement in March of former chief Daryl Sehm. Jankowski was not included in the shortlist of candidates.

In an article about the city's vacancies, Buffalo News reporter Bill Brown wrote yesterday:

Complicating the issue is the idea of combining three departments — police, fire and public works — under one director.

A nine-member commission to review the city’s 50-year-old charter form of government began meeting in April. It could recommend restoring the mayor-council system replaced in 1956 with an administrator-council. It is also expected to review municipal operations and conceivably could suggest an overall director of the three departments.

UPDATE: City Council President Charlie Mallow said that the Buffalo News article is not quite accurate. The city would not consolidate all three departments. Rather, the two chief positions could be merged into a single "public safety officer" position, while the public works director would be merged with the assistant city manager post, which has already happened, for the most part. (See comment below)

Previous related posts:

• Lt. Jankowski doesn't expect appointment
• Search narrrowed to two
• City looks for new chief

There were inspiring moments during Batavia's Memorial Day parade, and there were moments of significant community pride, but what may have been the single wow! moment was when Lt. Eugene Jankowski drove by on his restored Harley-Davidson police bike.

Yesterday, I visited the acting police chief and 30-year department veteran at his home and shot a short video interview with him about the bike. He was kind enough to supply some pictures to help tell the story of the bike.

Here's the video:

In case you missed it, here's our video from the Memorial Day parade.

Lt. Eugene Jankowski, acting police chief in Batavia, told The Batavian this afternoon that he believes he is no longer a candidate for the vacant police chief's job.

"They've conducted the final four interviews without me," Jankowski said.  "I'd say I'm pretty much out of the running."

Jankowski said when he was told he didn't make the final four, he filed a written appeal, but since he hasn't been interviewed, he believes that appeal was rejected.

"It’s not over yet. Anything is possible. I’ll be in my position for several more weeks yet. I’m going to stay on and continue to work as I have been."

It's possible, he said, that none of the four remaining candidates will receive nor accept an offer, in which case he might still have a shot.

But it doesn't sound like he's holding his breath. 

He said he's sad that he didn't get the job, but he's proud of his 30 years of service to the city and vows to support whomever gets the job.

"I'm still very passionate about my profession, enjoy my job, enjoy helping people and plan to stay on for five or six more years, as long as I’m able, as long as I’m in good health I’d like to stay," Jankowski said.