Veteran Avon Lake policeman Vincent Molnar promoted to chief

AVON LAKE — Lt. Vincent Molnar, a longtime member of the Avon Lake Police Department, is set to take the helm of the department as chief. Molnar was hired in November 1995, and his first promotion was to patrol sergeant in 2001. About five years after that, he moved to the detective sergeant position, where he served for nearly eight years. He was promoted to lieutenant December 2013 and has been a patrol lieutenant since. The past seven years in that role have "flown by," Molnar said. As chief, Molnar's annual salary will be $114,031.19, according to the City Council ordinance confirming his appointment. Council voted on the appointment as an emergency measure, after first reading, so the incoming chief can fill the role as soon as possible. Councilman at-large K.C. Zuber said Molnar will be sworn in today. Building and maintaining positive relationships between the department and the community will be a top priority for Molnar. He said his predecessor, Duane Streator, was great with community outreach, instituting numerous programs that engaged the public including a citizen police academy and coffee with cops events. "One of our core values is service and I think it's what we are here for. We are here to serve the community and we want to make sure we are doing that in a way that the community needs us to," he said. "The only way you can do that is by staying in contact with them and learning directly from them what it is they want, what it is they need from the Police Department." Molnar is becoming chief of a department with a number of recent retirements, one new officer in the Lorain County Community College police academy and two current openings, leading him to anticipate a focus on two of the department's other core values — professionalism and knowledge. "When you are replacing (experience), there are opportunities for other people to step up, but there is going to be a learning curve and some opportunities with getting people trained and focused in the right direction on our part," he said. Zuber described Molnar as an experienced professional with the "knowledge and understanding" to perform well as chief. In comments at the Council meeting, Mayor Greg Zilka said Molnar has been active within the Avon Lake community for years and is an "outstanding choice" for the job. The vacancy in the chief's office came up in March with the departure of Streator, who retired from Avon Lake and accepted the previously unfilled safety director position with the city of Avon. He stayed with the department until late April after two officers tested positive for COVID-19; both have recovered. In the interim, Lt. Sean Bockelman has been acting as chief. All three of the department's lieutenants went through the civil service assessment testing process for the chief position. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.