Glen Ellyn's New Deputy Chief 'Deeply Grateful' For New Role

GLEN ELLYN, IL — The Glen Ellyn Police Department (GEPD) has named Andrew Downey as Deputy Chief of Police. Downey, who began his career with GEPD in 2003, takes over the role following Deputy Chief Kurt Vavra's retirement.

Downey has a bachelors degree in law enforcement and justice administration from Western Illinois University, and a masters degree in organizational leadership from Lewis University. He finished the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association's leadership training series and graduated from te School of Police Staff and Command and Executive Management Program at Northwestern University.

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Before being promoted to Deputy Chief, Downey most recently served as Commander, a role he was promoted to in 2022. He first joined the force as a patrol officer in 2003 before being promoted to Sergeant in 2016.

In his time as Commander, Downey helped the department comply with state training requirement and SAFE-T Act training mandates. He was also instrumental in improving internal policies and recruitment procedures, a news release said.

"Having spent my entire law enforcement career serving Glen Ellyn, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to take on this new responsibility," Downey said in a statement.

He added,"I look forward to continuing to serve our community, supporting the exceptional people within our department, and helping lead our organization into the future."