CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — As her young daughters looked on in admiration, Janell Simpson pledged to uphold the law and fight for the city she grew up in. On Friday, she was sworn in as the first Latina deputy chief of the Camden County Police Department.
“Just can’t wait to be innovative and come up with new ideas and bring up other women in our department,” Simpson said.
The department has many women in leadership roles. In fact, it’s 20% female. The national average for a police department is about 10%.
When the county took over policing Camden in 2013, officials made a commitment that the department would reflect the demographics of the city.
“Being diverse and understanding the community and the culture is very, very important, and to understand the struggle of everybody. Growing up in this city you understand peoples’ struggle,” she said.
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Mayor Vic Carstarphen says Simpson serves as a role model for other young women in Camden looking at a career in law enforcement.
“So proud of our deputy chief and proud of her journey. Coming from the city, we all kind of know each other and each other’s families, so you’re always proud of people that you feel like you’ve known,” he said.
“It brings hope for teenagers, young ladies in our community to see individuals reflecting them,” he said.
Simpson says she always wanted to be a police officer. She now has over 20 years in law enforcement, most recently as detective in the Special Victims Unit. She says she is committed to making the City of Camden the best that it can be.
“I love my job and anyone I speak to I try to express that. It’s a great job and profession,” she said.
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Simpson is also committed to her family. Her father pinned her badge onto her uniform. Her husband, a police lieutenant, held the bible she placed her hand on for the oath. Her brother, Gilbert Colon Jr., battalion chief of the Camden Fire Department, pinned her rank.
Colon said he was proud to be a part of this moment for his sister. He said she is a lot like their late mother.
“My mom always kept our block clear, always calling the cops and getting people off of the street, and she fell into this. She’s like my mom in that respect,” Colon said.