The Sheldon Wolpin Lakewood Historical Museum will honor the Lakewood Police Department (LPD) with a ceremony and a special display of its 12 Police Chiefs and five fallen officers Tuesday, November 9, 2021, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Lakewood Historical Museum, 500 Country Club Drive (off County Line Road) Pine Park, Lakewood, New Jersey.

Lakewood Police Chief Gregory H. Meyer, Lt. Robert Shimonovich, and Sgt. Jeannette Shimonovich in collaboration with the Lakewood Police Foundation will host the ceremony, featuring Lakewood’s 12 police chiefs and five fallen officers who were all active officers.  At the time of death, three officers were on the line of duty and two were off duty. Both Nicklas Shimonovich, son of Lt. Robert Shimonovich and Sgt. Jeannette Shimonovich; and Craig Lawson, son of the 11th Chief Robert Lawson and Janet Lawson, were the two off duty officers.

Speakers at the ceremony include Lakewood Committeemen Meir Lichtenstein, who is the Township’s liaison to its emergency services; Retired Police Chief Robert Lawson; Chief Gregory H. Meyer; Dr. Stan Liptzin, the president of the Lakewood Historical Society; and retired Detective Steve Wexler, chairman of the Lakewood Heritage Commission. Committeemen Isaac Akerman and Mike D’Elia will also be in attendance.

Chief of Police Gregory Meyer said, “This will be a momentous occasion in history to document and witness the contributions of our police department.”

For more information, contact LPD Sgt. Jeannette Shimonovich at jshimonovich@lakewoodpolicenj.com  

The 12 Lakewood Police Chiefs: 1st Chief Charles Crane – 1902 – 1903; 2nd Chief Richard Beebe – 1903 – 1906;  3rd Chief Charles Norcross – 1906 – 1924; 4th Chief Walter Curtis –  1924 – 1950; 5th Chief Russell Groff – 1950 – 1951; 6th Chief Walter Comstock – 1952 – 1959; 7th Chief William Poole – 1959 – 1979; 8th Chief Stephen Belitrand – 1979 – 1987; 9th Chief Michael Prisco – 1987 – 1994; 10th Chief Michael Lynch – 1994 – 2006; 11th Chief Robert Lawson – 2006 – 2016; 12th Chief Gregory H. Meyer – 2016 – Present

Five Fallen Officers: Hartley Richter – April 10, 1947; William Preslar – May 14, 2007; Christopher Matlosz – January 14, 2011;Craig Lawson – August 18, 2016; Nicklas Shimonovich – September 5, 2020