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LAWRENCE: Ubry named police chief

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Lawrence Township police Lt. Mark Ubry, who has served as the acting chief of police since January, has been permanently appointed to the post of chief of police, effective Tuesday, said Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun.
Upon his appointment Tuesday, Chief Ubry became the Lawrence Township Police Department’s seventh chief since the department was created 90 years ago. He succeeds former Chief of Police Daniel Posluszny, who retired in December 2013.
Chief Ubry, 49, was chosen for the top job from among the three Police Department lieutenants, Mr. Krawczun said. The lifelong Lawrence Township resident was appointed to the department in 1988 and rose through the ranks to become lieutenant in 2001.
"I think after careful consideration of each of the lieutenants, there was very little difference, but Lt. Ubry has performed very well during his temporary appointment as acting chief of police. I felt that to move the Police Department forward in a positive direction, Lt. Ubry should be promoted to manage it in the future," Mr. Krawczun said.
"Although it is important to recognize the qualifications of the other candidates, I feel confident there will be a smooth transition and (that) there is support within the Police Department for Lt. Ubry’s appointment," Mr. Krawczun said.
Chief Ubry said he is "excited" for the opportunity to continue in the capacity of chief of police.
"During the past seven months that I have served as acting chief, I have received nothing but support and cooperation from the supervisors in the Police Department and other departments," Chief Ubry said.
The Lawrence Township Police Department is authorized to have 45 patrolmen, nine sergeants, three lieutenants, one captain and the chief of police. The department was created on Feb. 23, 1924, and it is celebrating its 90th anniversary.
Law enforcement in Lawrence Township was initially provided by the constable and the sheriff in the 1700s and 1800s. The Lawrence Vigilante Society was organized in 1867 to combat the growing crime of horse theft, according to "A Pictorial History of Lawrence Township." The book was published to celebrate the township’s 300th anniversary in 1997.
While the Lawrence Vigilante Society’s members provided some measure of law enforcement, there was overlap with the Trenton Police Department and the New Jersey State Police, according to the article that was written by former Chief of Police Nicholas Loveless.
But in 1924, the Lawrence Township Committee decided the township needed its own police department, Mr. Loveless wrote. Joseph Leland Hopkins was appointed to become the fledgling Lawrence Township Police Department’s first chief of police on Feb. 23, 1924.
Six special police officers were named to help Chief Hopkins. They worked on a part-time basis. Gradually, more citizens were appointed as special officers to form a citizen’s volunteer guard and were subject to be called at any hour by Chief Hopkins.
Township Committee authorized the hiring of the Lawrence Township Police Department’s first patrolman in 1926. By 1931, the Police Department had grown to include five patrolmen, plus the police chief. It is authorized now to have 59 sworn police officers — from the patrol officers to the chief of police.