Utica, like many cities, is home to a diverse population. Immigrant and refugee communities help make it unique. In a city with many cultures, it's helpful for the police department to have members of different backgrounds.

Sgt. Dzenan Sabanovic came to the United States from Bosnia in 1996, his family settling in Utica. He says he always wanted to be a police officer, and 10 years after he made the area his home, he was hired by his local department.

“Yeah I wanted to be a Utica cop,” Sabanovic said. “I didn’t take any other exams. I didn’t go anywhere else. Once I got hired here I knew that’s where I wanted to stay.”

Sabanovic’s loyalty to Utica is paying off in more ways than one. His background helps him relate and speak with Bosnian people in the community when police are called.

“I still speak the language so sometimes if it’s a Bosnian-speaking party that’s involved, that’s a lot quicker for us to just have a Bosnian-speaking police officer to go, interview the people versus calling a translator,” he said.

Sabanovic says diversity within every police department is critical.

“A lot of times people in the community will know things that are not shared outside of the community, and I think if you have an officer from that community that can be the link between the community and the police department, I think that goes a long way for both sides. I think it’s a win-win situation,” he said.

In addition to the Bosnian language, Utica Police Department staff say they have members who speak Spanish and Laotian.