Dean Molnar, a veteran conservation officer with the Department of Natural Resources, has been named assistant chief of the DNR's Law Enforcement Division. The announcement was made recently by DNR Law Enforcement Chief Gary Hagler.

"I am pleased to name Dean Molnar as assistant chief of the Law Enforcement Division," Hagler said. "Dean's service to this department and the people of Michigan has been hallmarked by a high level of professionalism, which will continue in his new post."

Molnar has been with the DNR since 1989, when he started as a conservation officer in Clinton County. In 1996, Molnar was promoted to Training Section Sergeant, assisting staff with recruiting and training conservation officer candidates; supervising probationary conservation officers; and coordinating field assignments.

In 1997, Molnar was named Area Law Supervisor for District 6 Area 6-3 in Cadillac, where he supervised conservation officers in Mason, Lake and Osceola counties. From July 2000 to February 2001, Molnar accepted a special assignment as acting Law Enforcement Supervisor for District 6, supervising DNR law enforcement personnel in central western Michigan. Molnar accepted the permanent District 6 supervisor position in July 2001.

Since June 2008, Molnar has served as acting staff captain at the Law Enforcement Division Office. He supervised Law Enforcement Division staff and programs, represented Law Enforcement on various committees and on inter-departmental working groups and worked to oversee the day-to-day general operations of the DNR's Law Enforcement Division. A 1974 graduate of Grayling High School, Molnar was a member of the 45th Mid-Michigan Police Academy at Lansing Community College in 1989, where he was academy class president. Dean and his wife Donna have two sons -- Joe, a DNR conservation officer in northeast Lower Michigan; and Dean, Jr., a Michigan State Police trooper in southeast Michigan.