WEST DEPTFORD
Protecting and Serving West Deptford Since 1955
Administration
Chief john chambers
Chief Chambers has proudly served with the West Deptford Police Department since 2001 and was promoted to Chief of Police in February of 2021. He served as a Patrol Officer until 2007 before moving to the Detective Division as an Investigator. Chief Chambers transferred back to the Patrol Division in 2010 after being promoted to Patrol Corporal and later Patrol Sergeant. He entered the Administrative Division in 2015 after being promoted to Lieutenant, where he oversaw the Detective Division, K-9 Unit, and Internal Affairs. In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Police before taking over command of the department from Retired Chief Sean M. McKenna Sr.
Chief Chambers attended Fairleigh Dickinson University-Madison, where he obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and later earned his Master’s Degree in Administrative Science from FDU. In 2019, Chief Chambers was honored to attend the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA. While at the Academy, he earned a Graduate Certificate from the University of Virginia in Criminal Justice Education. He is a proud graduate of the FBINA Session 277.
Chief Chambers was born and raised in West Deptford Township and considers it one of the area's top communities. He has always made an effort to be involved in community events and stay in tune with our residents' and business partners' issues and concerns. He proudly stands alongside the great men and women of the West Deptford Police Department and knows that this agency will continue to serve the residents of West Deptford and National Park with integrity, professionalism, and honor.
Chief Chambers can be reached at (856) 853-4599 ext 157 or via email at jchambers@westdeptfordpd.com with any questions or concerns.
Deputy Chief Michael Franks
Deputy Chief Franks has served with the West Deptford Police Department since 2003. Deputy Chief Franks began his Law Enforcement career as a Dispatcher for the Westville Police Department and the Gloucester County Communications Center. He then was hired by the Sea Isle City Police Department as a Class II Police Officer and attended the Cape May County Police Academy. The Pitman Police Department then hired franks as a full-time Police Officer. After serving with the Pitman Police Department for approximately 4 years, he was hired by the West Deptford Police Department in 2003. Franks ascended through the ranks as a Patrolman, K-9 Handler, Corporal, Sergeant, and a Lieutenant.
As Lieutenant, Deputy Chief Franks was the commander of the patrol division and K-9 Unit. In 2007, Deputy Chief Franks took on re-implementing our K-9 Unit, which had not been active for many years. Deputy Chief Franks proudly served in the K-9 Unit with his first K-9 partner, Judge, from 2007 to 2013 and his second K-9 partner Tazor from 2013 to 2018. Both K-9 partners were trained in Patrol and Narcotics Detection. Deputy Chief Franks is also a Certified K-9 Trainer in Patrol and Scent Detection. As Deputy Chief, he is the Commander of the Internal Affairs Unit, K-9 Unit, and oversees the Patrol Division and Detective Bureau.
Deputy Chief Franks has earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Deputy Chief Franks enjoys being an active member of our community events, K-9 demonstrations, and appearances.
Deputy Chief Franks can be reached at (856) 853-4599 Ext 160 or mfranks@westdeptfordpd.com with any questions or concerns.
Lieutenant John Craig
Lieutenant John Craig began his career with the West Deptford Police Department in 2001. Throughout his career in West Deptford, he has served in numerous capacities as a Patrolman, a School Resource Officer (SRO), an Investigator, a Detective, a Corporal, a Detective Corporal, and a Patrol Sergeant. He was promoted to his current rank of Lieutenant in 2021, where he now serves as the commander of the Patrol Division.
Lt. Craig is a graduate of West Deptford High School and attended York College of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. Lt. Craig is a 2001 graduate of the Gloucester County Police Academy, Basic Class #21.
Lt. Craig enjoys being involved in the community and has dedicated his time as a DARE/LEAD Instructor, an Executive Board member of the West Deptford Police Athletic League (PAL), a West Deptford Junior Police Academy Instructor, a Gloucester County Police Academy Instructor, and he is currently the department’s lead Physical Training (PT) Instructor. Lt. Craig also serves as the West Deptford Township Municipal Alliance Coordinator.
Lt. Craig believes that the West Deptford Police Department is one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the area and he is proud to serve the residents of West Deptford on a daily basis. Lt. Craig can be reached at (856) 853-4599 ext. 143 or via email at jcraig@westdeptfordpd.com.
Lieutenant Michael pfeiffer
Lieutenant Michael Pfeiffer has served with the West Deptford Police Department since October of 1999. Prior to that, he served as an intern with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and was a SLEO II with the Woodbury Police Department. He is a graduate of Gloucester County Police Academy Basic Class 15 and holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Lt. Pfeiffer started his career with the West Deptford Police Department as a patrol officer and has served as an Investigator in the Detective Division. After 8 years of that assignment, he was promoted to patrol Corporal and then patrol Sergeant, during which time he oversaw the Department’s Field Training Officer program. He held the rank of Sergeant for over 8 years until his promotion to Lieutenant in March of 2022.
Lt. Pfeiffer’s current duties include overseeing the Detective Division. He is also a member of the Department’s Internal Affairs Unit and is the NJ State Chiefs of Police Accreditation Manager and TAC Officer for the Department.
Lt. Pfeiffer is a 1996 Graduate of West Deptford High School and maintains strong ties to the community. Lt. Pfeiffer can be reached at 856-853-4599 ext 159 or mpfeiffer@westdeptfordpd.com if he can be of assistance to you.
Patrol Division
The Patrol Division is the largest and most visible unit within the West Deptford Police Department. The Patrol Division is often referred to as the “backbone” of any police organization. The group ensures that there is 24 hour-a-day police coverage for the residents and visitors of West Deptford. The division is staffed by four (4) squads of highly trained uniformed officers who work rotating shifts between day work and night work. Each team consists of several officers and is supervised by a Sergeant and Corporal. The Patrol Division is commanded by a Lieutenant who oversees the four squads and all unit functions.
The Patrol Division is the first responder to any service calls, including medical emergencies, traffic crashes, alarms, fires, disturbances, domestic disputes, and any crimes in progress. They are also responsible for proactive and preventive patrol, such as traffic enforcement and neighborhood checks.
The Patrol Division's goal is to provide the best possible police services to the community of West Deptford and ensure the residents and visitors of West Deptford feel safe and secure. The best way for that to happen is to have a partnership between the police and the community, so we urge you to contact us at any time with any questions or concerns. Moreover, please remember, “if you see something, say something.”
Detective Unit
The Detective Unit currently consists of a Sergeant, a Corporal, four investigators, and a civilian support person.
Their primary responsibility is to investigate all significant criminal incidents occurring within the township, including death investigations, burglaries, robberies, assaults, sexual assaults, narcotics offenses, and other crimes against persons and property. They are also responsible for firearms licensing, alcohol and beverage registrations, background investigations, evidence processing, intelligence sharing with outside agencies, and the oversight and filing of all sex offenders classified under Megan’s Law.
If anyone has any questions, problems, or information they would like to pass along to the Detective Unit, please contact Sergeant Jeff Pallies at 856-853-4599 ext 164 or by email at jpallies@westdeptfordpd.com.
Special Ops
The Special Operations Unit was implemented to address the growing need to connect with the residents we serve. One of the unit’s primary goals is community outreach, which is essential in strengthening the bond between the police department and our residents.
Programs such as National Night Out, K-9 demonstrations, L.E.A.D., the Junior Police Academy, neighborhood watch, bicycle patrol, and community service fall under this unit's direction.
The West Deptford Police Department takes pride in doing its part to fight the battle against drugs and is always looking for new ways to present drug prevention and awareness to the children in our community. Please contact Ptlm. Kienholz at 856-853-4599 ext. 413 or via email at bkienholz@westdeptfordpd.com with questions, concerns, or ideas for this unit.
Internal Affairs
The Internal Affairs (IA) Unit is necessary to any police force. The purpose of the Internal Affairs Unit is to investigate allegations of police misconduct. Due to IA policy, the West Deptford Police Department is obligated to release IA statistics annually. These statistics are included in an annual report which displays professional standards for its officers and administration. Please contact 856-845-2400 to make an IA complaint.
Click Here for NJ Attorney General Site for forms in other languages
K-9 Unit
The K-9 Unit was first established in the 1980s by Sgt. Steve Lightcap and K-9 Mountain. After the first two patrol dogs' retirement, the unit was again brought back in 1997 when Chief McKenna patrolled the streets with a narcotics detection dog, K-9 Kilo. K-9 Kilo was a yellow Labrador Retriever who served a successful career and retired after receiving many service awards.
In 2007, Deputy Chief Mike Franks began serving with his Patrol and Narcotics trained German Shepherd, K-9 Judge. K-9 Judge enjoyed an exemplary career until 2013 when he was retired due to medical issues. Click below for more info.
Training Unit
On June 1, 2020, the Training Unit was implemented to address the need for a centralized training program within our department. The purpose of this new unit is to maintain the highest standards set for our officers through progressive and effective training measures. This unit will provide a mechanism to identify, develop, and maintain a training program that reflects our profession's current, future, and projected needs.
This unit will also oversee all school security measures and directly supervise the department's School Resource Officer(s) and SLEO 3 officers (school security).