CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Camden County has a new top cop and the first Latino officer to hold the office in its history.
On the last day of 2020, then-Sgt. Gabriel Rodriguez was sworn in as Camden County Police Chief. He makes history as the first Latino officer in Camden city law enforcement to have the rank.
"Gabe has been an asset to our department and the city for years and has worked in every facet of it throughout his tenure," said Lou Cappelli, director of the Board of County Commissioners. Cappelli swore Rodriguez into office.
"One of our main objectives is to have the department reflect the citizens that it serves and having him at the top goes a long way to that objective."
Rodriguez, born and raised in East Camden, has been a police officer in the city for more than 18 years and worked his way up through the ranks, starting as a patrolman in the former Camden City Police Department.
"As a police officer in Camden, I've dedicated my entire adult life to improving our city. I love this city. And I'm so excited to work with our entire community to make lives safer and better," he said in a New Year's message on social media.
"Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, his entire family couldn’t be there," added Cappelli. "But his wife and his three daughters were there and they were very excited. And joining by Zoom were his father and mother, and his father used to work for the Camden City Police Department."
Rodriguez is the third leader of the department in eight years.