Lee Lieber Sworn In As Moorestown Police Chief; Township Honors Phil Garwood

Moorestown, NJ -- Lee Lieber assumed his new role as the Moorestown Police Chief during Monday night’s council meeting at town hall.

The same meeting saw Phil Garwood serve for the final time as an elected official at a regular meeting during a tenure that was met with praise from the township manager and his fellow councilmen.

Lieber, who has been with the police department since 1978, was sworn in as the first chief since Moorestown Council voted unanimously to reinstate the position last year.

Prior to that, a Police Director led the department. The difference is the Police Director is a civilian position, while a Police Chief can serve all the same duties as a regular uniformed officer.

Lieber has been serving as Acting Police Chief for the last year. The township fulfilled all civil service guidelines before naming Lieber the permanent chief.

“You never plan to have an opportunity of this type when you start your career,” Lieber said on Monday night. “I want to thank council for making this possible and Township Manager Scott Carew for doing all the necessary research to be able to bring this position back. I also want to thank my fellow officers and administrative staff that supported me for the last year and a half while this process played out, and (Maple Shade Police Chief) Gary Gubbel, who’s been a real backer for me.”

Council chambers were lined with members of the Moorestown Police Department who were there to see their chief sworn in.

Lieber was the department’s first K9 handler and was named the county’s Emergency Management Director in 2008.

Carew then honored Garwood, saying that to say he’s a nice person doesn’t come close to doing him justice.

“He has humility,” Carew said. “He’s not a politician, but not in the way that other people aren’t politicians these days.”

He said Garwood had a great year as mayor, and deserves a lot of credit for some of the things that have happened in the township, including the construction of the Second Street Parking Lot, new roads, new parks, moving forward with a process to help solve a complicated and delicate water treatment issue, and the swearing in of a new police chief.

He also pointed out it was all done with no tax increase and maintaining an Aa1 bond rating from Moody’s.
Garwood served on council from 2013-2016, and has been on various boards and committees in the township since 2010. He will serve one more time as mayor during a special meeting on Thursday morning, Dec. 22, 8:30 a.m. at town hall.

“I want to thank everyone,” Garwood said. “This is something I love doing. This has been a team effort for all of us and the town. This is not good-bye, I promise you that.”