Over and Out: Hopatcong Police Officer Retires After 30 Years

Detective Lawrence Shavers spent a few moments in the Hopatcong Police Department's locker room Wednesday night, reminiscing with fellow policemen.

"I'm going to miss those guys," he said.

Shavers retired Thursday after 32 years in law enforcement, including three decades in the borough. Officer Ryan Tracy will take Shavers' detective role. Police Chief John Swanson said the department has "no immediate plans" to fill the open patrolman position.

"We will operate with an added vacancy for the time being," Swanson said.

Lt. Robert Brennan said Tracy's outside-the-box thinking helped him land the spot.

"He is a very, very smart person," Brennan said. "It doesn't have anything to do with school smart. I know some people in my personal life with college degrees that I wouldn't let watch my dog on a weekend. But there are just some people who can read people. And that's not something you can learn. You either have it or you don't."

Shavers, 56, said retirement doesn't mean he'd stop working. A certified arson investigator, Shavers said he might pursue jobs with private investigation agencies when he's not tending to his "honey-do" list at home.

"I'm looking forward to a lower-key life, taking it easy," said Shavers, who lives in Stanhope and has a wife and three children.

Brennan said Shavers took him on his first domestic violence call 16 years ago. And instead of watching and learning, Brennan, straight from the police academy, said Shavers made him handle the incident. Brennan said he was astonished.

"[Shavers] said, 'There's only one way to learn, and that's to do it. I can't tell you about it,'" Brennan said.

"He's had a pretty good career," Brennan continued. "He's very knowledgeable. He's was a go-to guy. "

Swanson agreed.

"Thirty years of experience is hard to replace," the police chief said. "He came to Hopatcong with prior law enforcement experience, so he was an immediate asset to us. He's a good guy, a conscientious individual. Always came into work with a good attitude. A pleasure to have around, really."

Swanson said local police departments often contacted Shavers for his automobile accident investigation expertise.

Shavers began his career in Hopatcong in November 1980. Before that, he was a Jackson policeman and on the Seaside Heights seasonal patrol.

Shavers spent 16 years as a patrolman before being promoted to detective. He said two cases, in particular, stuck out when looking back on his career—when a woman starved herself and four children, telling them God would give them food, in 2006; and when a dog attack killed a six-day-old baby in 2008.

"Cases with children bother me a lot," said Shavers, who spent his last day tying up loose ends from open investigations. "Those are the ones that you carry with you for a long time."

Shavers said running Hopatcong's seatbelt saftey and traffic programs was fulfulling. But he said the job wasn't always rosy.

"There are a lot of people out there who'll say I was a nice guy," he said. "And then there are people out there who will loath me. But that's the nature of the job. I've had people that I've arrested and they see me and say, 'Thank you.'"

And though it had it's difficult moments, Shavers said he'd miss the police department's camaraderie the most.

"There's a lot of good people here," he said.