3 Children

North Ridgeville High School 1983

Lorain County Community College and Cleveland State University

Police Executive Leadership College - 2000

Northwestern Cntr. for Public Safety School of Police Staff & Command - 2002

Chief Whitely joined the Elyria Police Department on May 7, 1990, starting as a patrolman. As a patrolman he worked with every division in the department. He worked in the “NIU” Neighborhood Impact Unit, which was created to raise the awareness of law enforcement in high crime rate areas. He then worked in the Detective Bureau, with stints in the Youth Bureau, Adult Detective Bureau and ending in Major Crime’s Division.

Whitely climbed the ranks with relative swiftness; as a patrolman he rose to the rank of Sergeant in June of 1997 and then to Lieutenant in March of 1999. He was sworn in as “Captain” in September 19th of 2002 and has held the position of Services Commander and Patrol Commander.  He was sworn in as Chief of Police February 26th of 2010.