Donald Ticel joined the Painesville Police Department, Lake County, in the fall of 1999.  As a patrol officer, Donald was active in his agency’s field training program where he trained many new officers.  Donald was assigned to the detective bureau in the fall of 2012, where he remained until his retirement in June of 2023.  During his tenure, he became a certified instructor in numerous firearms platforms and assisted with departmental training on firearms proficiencies, tactics, and active threat.  He became a member of the Lake County Regional SWAT Team in 2005 where he was initially assigned to entry.  Donald rose through the ranks of the team, acting as team firearms instructor, lead firearms instructor, team leader and eventually Assistant Commander of the team.
 
Upon retirement from the Painesville Police Department, Donald Ticel received a full-time commission from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office as the training coordinator at the Lake County Sheriff’s Public Safety Training Facility.  He is responsible for facilitating and coordinating law enforcement training at the facility.  Donald is a founding member and law enforcement instructor for the Lake County Mass Casualty Drill Instructor Group, originating in 2018.
 
Donald also continues to take an active role in training officers from many surrounding agencies.  Donald is still active in the field as the Assistant Commander on the Lake County Regional SWAT Team.  He is also currently assigned to the US Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, a position he has held since 2018.