Police chief to retire after 33 years on the force
John Elek will be spending his days pursuing another passion: carpentry
Police Chief John Elek, who has a 33-year long career with the North Royalton Police Department, will step down March 17 to enjoy retirement. Photo by JAIME ANTON
NORTH ROYALTON – As long as he can remember, he’s always wanted to be a police officer, and Police Chief John Elek, 59, fulfilled that dream with a career spanning 33 years with the North Royalton Police Department.
But now he is stepping down to enjoy retirement.
On Jan. 23, 1984, Elek joined the force as a patrolman with a desire to serve.
“I always wanted to be a police officer from as far back as I can remember,” he said. “I guess you are in that position where you can help watch out for people and their property. I think a lot of officers feel that way and that’s why they get into this job, service oriented.”
When his career began, there were no computers.
“When I first started, we only had one walkie talkie and the battery only lasted 20 minutes. The junior officers never saw it, only the senior officers,” he chuckled.
One thing he will never forget and will always be proud of is a memorable call he responded to in the ‘90s when he was serving as a patrol sergeant. A call came in for mutual aid out of Hinckley at Bennett’s Corners. Where the CVS is now, there was a gas station. Hinckley officers had spotted two males who had broken in.
“It was in December. The two suspects took off running. I tracked them in the snow, just kept following the tracks all the way from Bennett’s Corners to the other side of Pearl at Boston. It took a couple of hours, but I finally found them in a barn. I had worn them out. At the time, I was playing basketball on three leagues and was in the best shape of my life,” Elek said.
He worked his way up through the ranks being promoted to sergeant in June 1988, lieutenant in May 2006 and chief in January 2012.
“I was promoted to chief on the same date I was hired, Jan. 23,” he noted. “I’m proud of my career as a whole, but becoming chief was probably my proudest moment.”
He never set out to become chief, it just was a natural progression that grew out of his desire to satisfy the urge to help others.
“Things change as you get older, your goals become different. At first I wanted to be sergeant because I thought I could do a better job supervising officers and be in a better position to effectively serve the community,” Elek said. “After a number of years, I thought being a lieutenant I could do better. Then I thought, ‘you know what, I can hit the top of the heap here and give it my best shot.’ And, I think it’s worked out very well.”
Elek succeeded former Police Chief Paul Bican, who retired in 2012 after a lengthy career as chief.
When Elek took over, he made some significant changes to the department to save city dollars and utilize personnel more effectively. Elek had detectives park the take home cars, only taking them overnight when they were on call.
He also took officers out from behind desks in the bureau to have more guys on the road. When a sergeant left the department for Medina County, Elek eliminated the position and opted to hire another patrolman instead for this same reason. And, he began phasing out the Chevy Impala cruisers for Ford Interceptors, which are designed for law enforcement and therefore have more longevity.
“We had to make some changes because we were too stagnate with what we were doing,” the chief said.
Elek’s last day is March 17. The new police chief test will be administered March 13, so his successor will not be named until after his retirement. So Lt. Jim Cutler, who was a top candidate for police chief alongside Elek in 2012, will serve as acting chief until the permanent replacement is selected. The mayor will chose from the top two candidates.
Elek said there is a healthy pool of candidates this year, and the department will be in good hands no matter who is chosen.
“Everyone will bring their own unique set of qualifications to the table. It should be a smooth transition into capable hands,” he said.
Mayor Bob Stefanik said Elek will be missed.
“With Chief Elek in charge, we had the confidence knowing that the police department was operated in a fair and compassionate manner,” he said. “The police department takes its lead from the chief, and I believe we have one of the most well respected and professional in the area.”
So what will Elek be up to in retirement?
More work.
Many may be unaware, but he excels at carpentry and works for a contractor some evenings and weekends.
“He keeps me busy and always says he wishes he could use me more. After I retire, I’ll be able to do more of that, which I enjoy. And, I’m already getting calls from people who know I’m retiring, so I’m sure I’ll be busy,” he chuckled.
But now he is stepping down to enjoy retirement.
On Jan. 23, 1984, Elek joined the force as a patrolman with a desire to serve.
“I always wanted to be a police officer from as far back as I can remember,” he said. “I guess you are in that position where you can help watch out for people and their property. I think a lot of officers feel that way and that’s why they get into this job, service oriented.”
When his career began, there were no computers.
“When I first started, we only had one walkie talkie and the battery only lasted 20 minutes. The junior officers never saw it, only the senior officers,” he chuckled.
One thing he will never forget and will always be proud of is a memorable call he responded to in the ‘90s when he was serving as a patrol sergeant. A call came in for mutual aid out of Hinckley at Bennett’s Corners. Where the CVS is now, there was a gas station. Hinckley officers had spotted two males who had broken in.
“It was in December. The two suspects took off running. I tracked them in the snow, just kept following the tracks all the way from Bennett’s Corners to the other side of Pearl at Boston. It took a couple of hours, but I finally found them in a barn. I had worn them out. At the time, I was playing basketball on three leagues and was in the best shape of my life,” Elek said.
He worked his way up through the ranks being promoted to sergeant in June 1988, lieutenant in May 2006 and chief in January 2012.
“I was promoted to chief on the same date I was hired, Jan. 23,” he noted. “I’m proud of my career as a whole, but becoming chief was probably my proudest moment.”
He never set out to become chief, it just was a natural progression that grew out of his desire to satisfy the urge to help others.
“Things change as you get older, your goals become different. At first I wanted to be sergeant because I thought I could do a better job supervising officers and be in a better position to effectively serve the community,” Elek said. “After a number of years, I thought being a lieutenant I could do better. Then I thought, ‘you know what, I can hit the top of the heap here and give it my best shot.’ And, I think it’s worked out very well.”
Elek succeeded former Police Chief Paul Bican, who retired in 2012 after a lengthy career as chief.
When Elek took over, he made some significant changes to the department to save city dollars and utilize personnel more effectively. Elek had detectives park the take home cars, only taking them overnight when they were on call.
He also took officers out from behind desks in the bureau to have more guys on the road. When a sergeant left the department for Medina County, Elek eliminated the position and opted to hire another patrolman instead for this same reason. And, he began phasing out the Chevy Impala cruisers for Ford Interceptors, which are designed for law enforcement and therefore have more longevity.
“We had to make some changes because we were too stagnate with what we were doing,” the chief said.
Elek’s last day is March 17. The new police chief test will be administered March 13, so his successor will not be named until after his retirement. So Lt. Jim Cutler, who was a top candidate for police chief alongside Elek in 2012, will serve as acting chief until the permanent replacement is selected. The mayor will chose from the top two candidates.
Elek said there is a healthy pool of candidates this year, and the department will be in good hands no matter who is chosen.
“Everyone will bring their own unique set of qualifications to the table. It should be a smooth transition into capable hands,” he said.
Mayor Bob Stefanik said Elek will be missed.
“With Chief Elek in charge, we had the confidence knowing that the police department was operated in a fair and compassionate manner,” he said. “The police department takes its lead from the chief, and I believe we have one of the most well respected and professional in the area.”
So what will Elek be up to in retirement?
More work.
Many may be unaware, but he excels at carpentry and works for a contractor some evenings and weekends.
“He keeps me busy and always says he wishes he could use me more. After I retire, I’ll be able to do more of that, which I enjoy. And, I’m already getting calls from people who know I’m retiring, so I’m sure I’ll be busy,” he chuckled.