MOUNT LAUREL, NJ (KYW Newsradio) — For the first time in the township’s history, Mount Laurel appointed a woman as police chief.
“It’s definitely an exciting time for me and, I hope, as well members of the police department,” said Chief Judy Lynn Schiavone.
Schiavone has been with the Mount Laurel police department for more than 20 years. She says she never dreamed she’d have an opportunity like this.
“I feel like it’s definitely something that maybe other women can see and think to themselves, ‘I would like a career in law enforcement,’ and feel like this is kind of the door opening for them to maybe pursue a career if it’s in the back of their mind.”
Schiavone said she is proud of what the department has accomplished in recent years and, while in this new role, she hopes to continue building a bond with the people they are sworn to protect.
She said one of the first orders of business is to hire more cops to keep up with the growing population in town.
She also wants to prioritize connecting with kids in the community through events.
“One of the events that we had done in the past and we’re probably going to try and stick with it again, is we had a video game truck night where brought the video games in and the kids were able to sit down in the community center and play video games head to head with the officers,” Schiavone explained.
She said it’s a nice way for kids to kind of sit down, have a conversation with a police officer and see that police come from the community. “We are you,” she said.
She hopes girls and other women see her in this role and can envision themselves as leaders in law enforcement, too.
Related
