The History of the Lower Township Police Department

The Lower Township Police Department was officially incorporated in 1955. The Department has had nine Chiefs: John Knecht, Robert Denny, Don Douglass, John Maher, Edward Donohue, Brian Marker, William Mastriana, William Priole, and Kevin Lewis.  The Department started with two full-time officers and two part-time officers and has grown as the township has grown. 

Officers have operated out of three different police stations in the Department's history. The first was on Seashore Road where the Lower Township D.P.W. is now located. The second station was located on Bayshore Road in the Villas, near Township Hall. The current Police Department is located in a large building in the Cape May County Airport Complex. The Lower Township Public Safety Building also houses the Cape May County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Cape May County Dispatch Center, Inspira Rescue, Municipal Court, and the Fire Safety Bureau. The Lower Township Police Department was one of the first police departments in New Jersey to have School Resource Officers assigned to its grade schools and high school.

The Lower Township Police Department is an active member of the highly trained Cape May County Regional SWAT and Marksman Observer Teams, assigned officers must pass a rigorous annual physical fitness and quarterly/bi-annual firearms tests, as applicable to specific state requirements. In 1994, the Police Department lost a member of the Lower Township SWAT team when Officer David C. Douglass was shot and killed, on February 18, 1994, in the line of duty. Officer Rocco DeNote was later shot and wounded in the line of duty.

The Lower Township Police Department was also one of the first departments in the county to implement a Community Policing Unit and Bike Patrol. The Lower Township Detective Division consists of a Detective Sergeant and five detectives. The Command Staff at the police department is made up of the Chief of Police, one Deputy Chief, one Captain, three Lieutenants, and six additional Sergeants.

The Lower Township Police Department is committed to continuing to serve and protect the citizens, visitors and businesses of Lower Township.