Glen Ellyn promotes police department veteran to deputy chief

The village of Glen Ellyn has promoted Andrew Downey to deputy chief of police, according to a news release.Downey succeeds retiring Deputy Chief Kurt Vavra, bringing more than 23 years of experience with the police department to his new role. Downey began his career as a patrol officer in September 2003, was promoted to sergeant in 2016 and commander in 2022 serving in both administrative and operational leadership positions, according to the release.Throughout his career, Downey has played a significant role in advancing departmental operations, training and professional development. As commander of administration, he led initiatives to strengthen officer recruitment, improve departmental policies and ensure compliance with state-mandated training requirements. His efforts included achieving full compliance with Illinois SAFE-T Act training mandates ahead of the state’s 2025 deadline, according to the release.“Having spent my entire law enforcement career serving Glen Ellyn, I am dee