Ken Bilinovich has been named as the new North Royalton Chief of Police, replacing John Elek, who retired in March. He was sworn in on Thursday, May 11. “We’re very fortunate to have such a strong pool of candidates to replace Chief Elek,” said Mayor Bob Stefanik. “With Chief Bilinovich, our department won’t skip a beat.”
“Of course, I’m happily surprised,” said Bilinovich, who promises to do his very best. He said he feels “lucky and blessed” to receive this promotion. Even before he started with the North Royalton Police Department, Bilinovich was no stranger to police work. His mother was a Detective with the Cleveland Police for 30 years, retired in 1988. “Growing up, seeing her work, I knew early on that is what I wanted to do.”
Bilinovich started with the department as a patrolman in October of 1983 and was promoted to Sergeant in July of 1991. He also has been in charge of the Police Reserves for more than 20 years.
North Royalton Safety Director, Bruce Campbell, said that the process for the Police Chief promotion is very competitive, as is the nature of police work. “Bilinovich came out on top,” he said. “He will be faced with different kinds of challenges in his transition to the position of Chief, but with his 30 + years’ experience and his extensive background, I’m sure he’ll do well.”
Bilinovich has been a long time North Royalton resident, where he lives with his wife and family. He graduated from Valley Forge High School in 1977, served in the Air Force and attended the Police Executive Administrative Leadership School in 2007.
Bilinovich has spent his whole career working the streets. “I’ve been here 33 years, so I’ve seen everything from homicides to barking dogs,” he said. He looks forward to making the transition into his new position, which officially began on Monday, May 15.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer