New Sheffield Lake Police Chief Andrew Kory eager to engage with community

SHEFFIELD LAKE — A new chapter for the Sheffield Lake Police Department was ushered in this week as Sgt. Andrew Kory was promoted to the department's top position. Kory was getting the chief's office set up Wednesday morning after being sworn into the new role Tuesday evening. He said the community already has shown their support for him, and a large portion of police and fire department personnel attended Tuesday's swearing-in ceremony. Kory, a graduate of Youngstown State University and the Lorain County Community College Police Academy, has worked with the Sheffield Lake Police Department since 2015. He became a detective in 2017 and was promoted to the sergeant rank in 2018. "Ever since I wanted to be a police officer, I wanted to be a good police officer," he said. "So I got my degree and I just hit the ground running ever since." Mayor Dennis Bring said he is excited for Kory to get to work as chief and gain experience in the role. "I think technology-wise, he is good at that. He is intelligent," Bring said. "I think he's going to take us to the next level." The chief's position became available with the retirement of former Chief Anthony Campo in late June. Campo, who had been with the department for more than 30 years, retired suddenly after Bring confronted him about an incident in which the chief printed "Ku Klux Klan" on a paper and placed it on a Black officer's raincoat. The racial incident was captured on a police station security camera, and numerous media reports on the incident brought regional and even national attention to the small department. With the situation now months in the past and Campo no longer with the department, Kory said Sheffield Lake police are going to move forward together, focusing on the community and on the officers. "Everyone here is ready to move on," he said. "We're team oriented and going forward, we're going to work together as a team. We all understand what happened, happened." Kory said the department will revive community-oriented programs like No Shave November, Shop with a Cop and Coffee with a Cop that allow residents to interact with officers. "I don't want any citizen to feel like the Police Department isn't there for them. We are here to address any and all concerns that the citizens may have," he said. Sheffield Lake police also have been collaborating with Lorain police for training. Kory said Lorain Police Chief Jim McCann allowed Sheffield Lake officers to train with Lorain officers, performing types of training that previously were unavailable to them. "All the chiefs in the area have been welcoming to us, giving us guidance and help," Kory said. Sheffield Lake police also swore in two new officers Tuesday night. Joshua McCoy was hired as a full-time patrolman and Robert Perkins was brought on part time. Bring said the city is looking to hire one more part-time officer. The department employs about 10 full-time officers. Sgt. Shawn Corr had been serving as acting chief since Campo left. Corr and Kory both went through the civil service testing process for chief. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.