There were smiles all around as a veteran police officer was promoted to a new rank and a new police officer was sworn into office at the Lawrence Township Council meeting earlier this month.
Lt. Christopher Longo was sworn in to his new position, while Police Officer Timothy Wallace was sworn in as a Lawrence Township police officer at the council’s Nov. 8 meeting. Police officers and family members filled the council’s meeting room for support.
Mayor Christopher Bobbitt administered the oath of office to Lt. Longo, whose two children – Cara and Chase – stood at his side. He hugged his son and daughter after he was sworn into office.
Lt. Longo grew up in Lawrence Township and began his career as a Lawrence Township Police Department dispatcher in 1999. He was hired as a police officer and rose through the ranks, serving as a detective and a sergeant, said Chief of Police Brian Caloiaro.
The newly-promoted lieutenant attended the Cape May County Police Academy and the Burlington County Police Academy. He also attended the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., Chief Caloiaro said.
Since he was hired as a police officer, Lt. Longo has been awarded the Police Department’s Meritorious Service Award, a Life Saving Award, and five Commendable Service awards.
Lt. Longo thanked Chief Caloiaro and the Police Department’s command staff for giving him the new responsibility as a police lieutenant. It is something that he takes “very seriously,” he said.
Many members of his family have been involved in emergency services, Lt. Longo said, adding that “it only seemed fitting that I should follow suit.”
He was a volunteer firefighter at the Lawrence Road Fire Co., and is now a life member at the fire company.
While he enjoyed his volunteer service as a firefighter, working as a Police Department dispatcher solidified his decision to become a police officer, Lt. Longo said.
“I knew I had to make it my career,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier to continue my service as a lieutenant. I look forward to the challenge.”
Chief Caloiaro welcomed Lt. Longo to the Police Department’s command staff. He complimented Lt. Longo for being a “motivating supervisor,” and said it was great to have him move up in the ranks.
Mayor Bobbitt also swore in Officer Wallace, who was accompanied by his mother, Jannifer Wallace, and his girlfriend, Edimar Lucero.
Officer Wallace transferred to the Lawrence Township Police Department from the Trenton Police Department. The Hamilton Township native earned an associate degree in criminal justice at Mercer County Community College, and completed his studies at Rutgers University.
While he was attending college, Officer Wallace worked as a security officer at the Quaker Bridge Mall. He was hired as a New Jersey state corrections officer and then accepted a position with the Trenton Police Department. He graduated from the Mercer County Police Academy.
Officer Wallace said he decided to transfer from the Trenton Police Department to the Lawrence Township Police Department because it is a community policing-oriented department.
“It is an honor to be a Lawrence Township police officer. I look forward to serving the community of Lawrence,” Officer Wallace said.
Chief Caloiaro said the Lawrence Township police sergeants assigned to the Quaker Bridge Mall noticed Officer Wallace when he was working as a security officer at the mall, but the Trenton Police Department scooped him up.
In the end, the Lawrence Township Police Department “stole” him from the Trenton Police Department, Chief Caloiaro said.
“We are excited to have Officer Wallace here,” Chief Caloiaro said, adding that the new patrol officer is doing a “great job.”
