New Lieutenant In Chatham Township

CHATHAM, NJ - The domino effect of internal promotions continued last Thursday when Christopher Slayton was sworn in as a Lieutenant by Mayor Curt Ritter at the regular meeting of the Chatham Township Committee.

Slayton was promoted on the heels of Thomas Miller's ascension to Chatham Township Chief of Police. Miller officially replaced former chief Steven Hennelly who retired in August. Miller had been serving as officer-in-charge since then.

During Miller's brief tenure the Chatham Township Police Department the department reaccredited through June of 2021. Representatives from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police took public input about the Chatham Township Police Department and assessed all aspects of the Department's policies and procedures, management, operations and support services and saw fit to issue them a new certificate of accreditation.

That accomplishment was something Ritter credited the entire department for.

"The reaccreditation is reflective of the hard work and dedication of Chief Miller and his entire department. We could not be more pleased with this recognition, which is further evidence of what we already know —that we have the best Police Department in New Jersey if not the country," Ritter said. "Their focus on community policing, communications, and public safety is a testament to their efforts to ensure that Chatham Township remains one of the safest towns in New Jersey."

As for Slayton, during the Chatham Township Committee meeting Ritter praised the officer who joined the department in 2003 after earning a bachelor's degree from Rowan University.

Slayton was rated top of his class academically from the police academy and served a six month stint on the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Task Force for six months in 2009. At Chatham, he was also
awarded the Chief's Award for Outstanding Investigative Performance.

You can view Ritter's comments on Slayton at approximately the 15-minute mark and you can view the swearing ceremony at the 18-minute mark in the video of the meeting here.

(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

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