Babka, a gregarious Democrat who has headed the department's administrative division for the past four years, says he hopes as chief to make a difference in this urban hot spot that has the Salt Lake Valley's highest crime rate.

Babka is an unabashed fan of community policing, a philosophy he plans to implement broadly during his tenure as chief for the 22,000-resident city under newly elected Mayor Bob Gray.

"I want to lower the crime rate - which we did before through community policing," Babka said, referring to the philosophy of developing strong relationships between residents and police officers.

Babka also hopes to slow the flow of the city's trained officers to other departments that pay more or offer better benefits.