Streator to resign as chief

Hired as Avon safety director

Avon Lake police Chief Duane Streator is planning to resign and to become the safety director for the city of Avon.

The 54-year-old Streator will start in his new role March 30.

Avon Mayor Bryan Jensen said the safety director position is a new one that will be filled.

“It’s a new one in the sense that I’ve always been the safety director as the mayor,” Jensen said. “As the city of Avon has grown greater with more population and more and more businesses, it has become too much to do the safety director responsibilities of working with our police, fire, traffic and building departments.”

Jensen said another factor in the decision is the wanting to bring in some first responder experience.

“I also don’t have experience (in police and fire departments), so it’s good to bring someone in who specializes in that,” he said.

Jensen said the plan for the position was set in motion toward the end of last year.

“Council passed an ordinance for the position, and we then started the search at the beginning of this year,” he said. “We then put it out on the website and brought in applications.

“We then whittled the number, and had a number of quality candidates. But Duane Streator made the most sense based on where the city is at this time.”

Jensen said Streator makes sense because of his knowledge and experience in the area.

“He has a lot of contacts, especially with him being the president of the (Lorain County) Chiefs’ Association,”

the mayor said. “I got to work with him when our communities were working together to look for the child (4-year-old Sidney Heidrick) who drowned in Sheffield Lake (in July 2015).

“He does a great job and knows the area very well. He understands the importance of working within Lorain County. He will provide the expertise needed to understand the intricate parts of the police and fire departments.”

Jensen said the safety director position will pay $125,000 per year.

Streator said the position is a good opportunity to continue his public safety career.

“It’s a different opportunity for me,” he said. “It’s not that I don’t like what I’m doing now, but I feel this is a way for me to continue my career a little longer.”

Streator has spent his entire career with the Avon Lake Police Department.