Mount Laurel Township appoints 1st-ever female police chief
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (CBS) -- Mount Laurel Township appointed its first-ever female police chief at its town council reorganization meeting Monday.
Chief Judy Lynn Schiavone joined the Mount Laurel Police Department in 1999 and spent her entire 24-year career with the department.
"I always just wanted to try to impact the agency and just make it better," Schiavone said. "It was always a great agency to me, but I always thought there was little things along the way that I can improve upon."
As a young Mount Laurel police officer, Judy Lynn Schiavone never imagined she’d eventually become the township’s first female police chief. We speak to the history-making chief today at 6:15 pm @CBSPhiladelphia. pic.twitter.com/zu3xNlOKPp
— Brandon Goldner (@GoldnerTV) January 5, 2023
One of the big things she wants to improve upon is the number of officers on the force.
"The township of Mount Laurel is growing, and the police department needs to grow with it," Schiavone said. "We need to do some hiring so we're looking for some great qualified candidates."
It'll also be one of her biggest challenges as law enforcement agencies nationwide struggle to recruit officers, but Schiavone is confident she'll find candidates, particularly female officers.
"I hope that other women and ladies across the area see [my appointment] as a kind of green light to pursue their career in law enforcement," Schiavone said.