Cherry Hill Police Must Continue to Improve, New Chief Says

About 14 years ago, then-detective William “Bud” Monaghan scored a victory on the first search warrant of his career, a bust that led to a cache of drugs and weapons, after his sergeant raised concern after concern in the lead-up to its execution.

When he got back with a box full of evidence, Monaghan snapped a Polaroid of the haul and left it for the sergeant to find as proof of the success.

Monaghan’s reward? The photo, back on his desk, with a three-word note:

“Is that all?”

The new Cherry Hill police chief has not only not forgotten that note—it’s still attached to the Polaroid, which he saved—he said the sentiment applies now as much as ever, as he becomes the 10th man to lead the department.

“As I sat there, I knew what he was saying,” Monaghan said, reflecting on the moment. “It was all for that particular job, it was all for that particular case, but it wasn’t all for me as an individual, it wasn’t all for us as a department, because there was more to do.”

And though the department he now leads has come a long way since the crises of 2010, Monaghan said there’s still more to be done to build on the culture change that came under former Chief Rick DelCampo, who officially passed the torch in a ceremony Thursday night.

“Each individual officer bought into the mission,” Monaghan said. “We have more goals to achieve…the next step is how we can be more effective.”

That’ll come through a hybrid policing model, Monaghan said, adding special assignments and mobile response teams, and making the best use of newer additions, like automated plate readers and e-ticketing.

“We’re going to leverage the investments we’ve made in technology to determine the most effective and efficient way to deliver the service to the residents of this town,” he said. “We’re going to be aggressive in identifying problems before they get worse.”

There’s also going to be reinvestment into personnel, Monaghan said, including increased training and range time for rank-and-file officers, and a push for continuing education for command staff.

And as his tenure came to a close, DelCampo said Monaghan is committed to accountability at all levels, and makes for an ideal replacement.