Caldwell rejected him as police chief. Now he’s set to lead another Idaho city’s force
Caldwell Mayor Jarom Wagoner recommended in May that Jason Kuzik be that city’s new police chief, but the council voted no.
Two months later, Kuzik seems to have found a home in a different Idaho city.
In a news release, the city of Lewiston announced it was extending a conditional offer of employment to Kuzik, who has worked in law enforcement in Henderson, Nevada, for 25 years. Kuzik would replace Budd Hurd as chief.
Kuzik will undergo a “thorough background check” before he begins his new role, the Wednesday release said, but he is expected to start leading the Lewiston Police Department on Oct. 3.
The Caldwell City Council voted 4-2 not to appoint Kuzik as police chief on May 25, despite Wagoner’s pleas, and those voting against him indicated that systemic problems needed to be addressed within the department before anyone filled the role. Less than two months later, however, they voted to name Rex Ingram from the Los Angeles Police Department as the new chief.
Ingram made headlines earlier this year for a eulogy at a fallen police officer’s funeral in L.A. “You shared with me your worries over the anti-police climate, the refusal to hold criminals accountable and a woke narrative that only seemed to make things worse, not better,” he said at officer Fernando Arroyos’ service.
The Caldwell Police Department has over 75 sworn officers serving a growing city of about 56,000. Lewiston has just under 50 officers serving a city of about 32,000.
This story was originally published July 27, 2022 at 12:53 PM.
