Andrés González

Andrés González, Chief of Police of CMHA, began his law enforcement career on June 1, 1981, with the City of Cleveland Division of Police. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1993 and served as Officer in Charge of various units throughout the Cleveland Division of Police. In 1999, González was appointed to the rank of Commander. He provided leadership to the Division’s Bureau of Communications and the Third Neighborhood District where he was successful in developing positive relationships with numerous city, county and private organizations.

In 2007, González was appointed Chief of Police for the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, a CALEA Accredited organization. He became the first Hispanic to be appointed Chief of Police of a political subdivision in Cuyahoga County. He immediately engaged with residents and members of the police department to improve the delivery of services throughout the county. He implemented a community policing mindset and created a positive impact to employee morale. González established several initiatives which have increased citizen confidence in the Police Department.

González received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Urban Studies from Cleveland State University. He is certified in the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and Incident Command Structure (ICS), and is a certified Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) Instructor and a Certified Law Enforcement Executive in the State of Ohio. He currently serves on the Boards of the Positive Education Program, the Partnership for a Safer Cleveland, the Ohio Executive Institute Committee, and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cleveland. He also serves on a state level as an Advisory Board Member on the Ohio Family Violence Prevention Center (Office of Criminal Justice) and the Ohio Council on Victims Justice (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction).

González is the recipient of several awards and commendations including the United States Attorney General William French Award, the Ohio Distinguished Service Medal granted by the Ohio Attorney General and the prestigious Michael J. Kelly Award for Excellence and Innovation from the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Police Executive Leadership College. González is a member of numerous organizations including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Officers, the Cuyahoga County Police Chiefs Association and the U.S. Attorney General for the Northern District’s Project STANCE. González is the co-founder and past president of Friends of DARE, Inc., a not-for-profit charitable organization to support and enhances DARE programs in northeast Ohio. He fluently reads, speaks and writes Spanish.