Police Chief Richard Bosley Settling in

When most little boys dreamed of being firemen or police officers, Richard Bosley had other ideas.

He wanted to be an accountant.

"I loved order, organization, numbers, that though process," Bosley said.

Instead, he found his calling in a different kind of order. Law and order.

Bosley, 39, is Avon's , replacing Paul Romond, who .

Bosley's life plan changed when he was 16 and went to an open house at Lorain County JVS. He discovered the law enforcement/securities program there, and it intrigued him.

"I saw it was a good fit for me," he said. Bosley went on to graduate through the JVS program, and today serves on an advisory committee for it. In his career, Bosley has served in Elyria and Grafton before coming to Avon. He has also served as a Marines reservist.

There were a few bumps to the chief's office over the summer, as the . Since his swearing-in, Bosley said keeping the lines of communication open with the officers has been a priority. He has been going in at all hours to meet with officers on each shift.

Avon has changed since he joined the force 12 years ago, Bosley said. The community has almost doubled in population, and business and industry has grown as well.

"There's just about everything here," he said. "You can live here, work here, go to the Y, go shopping, go to a Crushers game."

The police department has grown, too. When he was hired, Bosley said, he was part of a 15-man force. Today, there are 34 sworn officers.

Talking with officers is part of his plan to bring up to date. With a change in the community comes a change in what police need to do, he said. Some of his observations:

• With a growth in retail, comes more theft. Shoplifting is an obvious issue, and there are car break-ins as well. But there are also little details an officer needs to know, Bosley said. For example, Tuesday is the big day of the week for new DVD releases. That means more people are going to try to be stealing DVDs that day.
• Old Avon and New Avon can collide at times, Bosley said. Families who have lived here for decades, who are used to riding their all-terrain vehicles through the woods, are finding themselves dealing with police more after residents of newer developments along those woods complain to police about noise and ATVs cutting through yards.
• In spite of the recession, there hasn't been a sharp uptick in serious property crime in town, Bosley said.
• Car accidents are becoming more common, especially during rush hour. Car-vs.-deer crashers are becoming more of a problem this time of year, also, with more cars on the roads and fewer woods for deer to stay in.
• The kids are all right, Bosley said. Beyond occasional underaged drinking parties, Avon isn't dealing with much serious juvenile crime.

Bosley plans to enhance community programs and police presence in the community.

"I want it to be normal to see officers out of the car and in the community, in neighborhood businesses, being involved in community events," he said. A community that knows its police officers as people is more connected to what the department does, he added.

This year, officers have organized and drives, and the is set to .

Bosley said he hopes to involve residents and businesses in crime prevention programs. Not only do these educate the public, he said, but it helps improve communication between the police and the community.

While some towns have a rivalry between the police and , Bosley said he's very lucky in having a good relationship with Avon fire chief Frank Root.

"I know I can rely on him," he said. "And there's a good relationship between departments."