Leaders come and go, but the good ones are remembered – and that’s perhaps why more than 150 people attended a special reception to honor retiring Police Chief Christopher Longo.
The people crowded into the Lawrence Township Municipal Courtroom to honor Longo on Dec. 30, hours before his retirement was to take place on Jan. 1, 2025. He served as the police chief for two years, capping a 25-year as a police officer.
“It is with immense pride and gratitude that we recognize the profound impact Chief Longo has had,” Interim Police Chief Kevin Reading Jr. told the attendees, which included residents and Longo’s family and friends.
Lawrence Township police officers, as well as police officers from surrounding towns, sat in the audience and lined up against the walls of the courtroom at the reception. Several retired Lawrence police officers also turned out for the reception.
Reading traced Longo’s law enforcement career, starting with his first job as a part-time police officer in North Wildwood. He joined the Lawrence Township Police Department in 1999 as a police dispatcher. He was hired as a patrolman after graduating from the Burlington County Police Academy.
Longo worked his way up through the ranks, from patrol officer to detective to sergeant and lieutenant before being named police chief in 2022.
Along the way, he took many leadership classes, including FBI – Law Enforcement Executive Development training courses and Command and Leadership at Fort Indiantown Gap military base, Reading said.
Longo was an instructor at the Burlington County and Mercer County police academies, where he trained hundreds of police officers and will be remembered by them.
Reading said Longo’s ability to lead by example, offer support and build trust within the community earned him the respect and admiration of police officers and citizens alike. He set a high standard.
Longo found ways to innovate, improve efficiencies and ensure that the Lawrence Township Police Department was the best one in the state, Reading said, adding that it is something that he truly believes.
“Leaders come and go, but the good ones are remembered for the legacy they leave behind for the organization to build on and grow from,” Reading said.
“Thank you, Chief Longo, for the incredible mark you left on the current Lawrence Township Police Department as well as the generations to come.”
Longo, who said that he is never at a loss for words, found it challenging to respond.
Looking around the packed courtroom, Longo acknowledged the police chiefs and police officers from neighboring towns who attended. He also acknowledged the township officials in attendance.
Longo also pointed to community members in the audience and praised the Lawrence Township police officers for engaging with the community.
“It’s hard to let go. I’m a control freak. This is bittersweet,” Longo said of his retirement, wrapping up the reception.
