I first met Starr Wooden nine years ago, not long after I moved to the Mohawk Valley, through my cousin, who also serves with the Utica Police Department.
Last November, while we were putting together our issue honoring first responders, I reached out and asked if she would join us for the cover shoot. She couldn’t make it that day because she was taking the captain’s exam.
So when I heard that Starr had been promoted to captain, becoming the first woman to hold the rank in the history of the Utica Police Department, that detail immediately came back to me.
There is something special about seeing a moment like this come full circle. After 18 years with the department, Starr has reached a milestone that is important not only in her own career, but in the history of the department and the city she serves.
I asked Captain Wooden to reflect on the years that brought her here, the challenges along the way, and what this moment means to her now.
Where were you when you learned you would become captain?
It’s funny because I was driving by myself to a doctor’s appointment in Cooperstown when my phone rang and I saw that it was Chief Williams. I was thinking to myself, “Oh, is this the deciding moment?”
When I answered, the chief was apologetic because he did not want to give me the news over the phone, but I was not at work that day. The next thing he said was that he was proud to tell me I was being promoted to captain.
I was immediately elated, but in shock at the same time. This was something I had been working hard toward, and the hard work paid off. I couldn’t thank the chief enough. When I hung up the phone, tears immediately came to my eyes. I was so happy I could hardly speak.
What has the response meant to you?
The response I have been receiving has been totally supportive, and it means the world to me. Obviously, getting promoted is a notch in your belt and self-satisfying, but seeing the support from all around reinforces my belief in the style of leadership I implement and how I have treated everyone I have encountered throughout my career.
What does being the first woman, and first woman of color, to serve as captain mean to you?
What it really means to me is that no matter where you come from, what your background is, or who you know, the opportunity to grow and make a difference is there, and that your merit and work ethic matter.
I hope that by shattering that glass ceiling here, it opens up opportunities for other people like me who aspire to do great things in a profession where women make up only a small percentage of full-time law enforcement officers.
What first drew you to law enforcement?
Back in 2006 and 2007, I was kind of in limbo. I had left my career in the engineering field as a product manager and was working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. There has always been historical distrust of law enforcement, and I had a cousin who worked in the profession. I spoke with him about becoming a police officer and asked if he thought I could do the job. He supported me and told me to take as many tests as possible.
Then, in April 2007, Thomas Lindsey was killed. Living in Utica, I saw that the murder of this officer was part of a disconnect between the police and the community, and that there was a lot of tension between the two. It was at that point I felt that maybe I could help bridge the gap.
I eventually took and passed the Civil Service test for UPD and was hired in June 2008.
What advice has stayed with you?
“The secret to success is consistency of purpose.”
And, if you want change, then you have to be a part of change.
What has your career taught you about leadership?
There isn’t one particular moment in my career that has tested me. My entire career has tested me.
Sometimes you have a particular plan for how you want to grow through your career, and then you experience hurdles, like not getting a position you want or not getting promoted when you know you have worked hard for it.
Then I had to think back to that one piece of advice: “The secret to success is consistency of purpose.” That kept me motivated and pushed me to want to develop, mentor, and motivate others.
It also taught me to stay true to my roots, my style of leadership, and what I wanted to achieve, which is building that bridge between the police and the community I grew up in, and helping make the department even greater than when I joined.
Beyond being the first, how do you hope your leadership will be remembered?
I hope people will remember that in every leadership role I held, I never forgot where I came from. That I fostered building bridges between the department and our community in order to build better trust.
I emphasized taking care of my people in-house: teaching them, mentoring them, motivating them, and developing them to be the future of our department.
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Captain Starr Wooden’s promotion is both a historic moment for the Utica Police Department and a well-earned recognition of the leadership she has demonstrated throughout her career. As the first female Utica Police Officer to attain the rank of Captain, Starr has reached a milestone that I believe will have a lasting impact on our department, particularly for the women who serve today and those who may consider a career in law enforcement in the future.
What makes this promotion especially meaningful, however, is that Captain Wooden is not defined simply by being the first. She has earned the respect of her fellow officers through her professionalism, work ethic, compassion, and ability to lead. She has also played an important role in strengthening the relationship between our department and the community through her leadership of our trust-building program, an initiative that has become a model for how law enforcement agencies can build meaningful relationships with the people they serve.
Captain Wooden represents the type of leader we want developing the next generation of Utica Police Officers. I am extremely proud of what she has accomplished, proud of what this promotion represents for our department, and confident that she will continue to make a significant contribution to the Utica Police Department and the City of Utica in her new role.”
Mark Williams, Chief of Police
Utica Police Department
