Big Night for GTPD: Rapp Honored, Barton Promoted

A local VFW leader made a major announcement about a Gloucester Township Police detective during Monday night's Township Council session, while one of the detective's fellow officers was promoted during the meeting.

Erial Memorial VFW Post Commander Phillip Williams presented Det. William Rapp with a plaque recognizing the 14-year police veteran as the VFW Post No. 5794's law-enforcement officer of the year award.

Williams, a retired Marine, also announced that Rapp is New Jersey's contestant in the national competition for the VFW law-enforcement officer of the year.

Rapp was instrumental in creating the department’s new Intelligence Services Unit as part of its intelligence-led policing program.

Chief W. Harry Earle nominated Rapp for the local award. Rapp was later selected as VFW District 7 (Camden County) and VFW New Jersey 2011 law-enforcement officer of the year.

In addition to the Rapp presentation, Brendan Barton was promoted to lieutenant during Monday's Council meeting.

With the promotion, Barton, who joined the Police Department in 1999 and was promoted to sergeant in 2006, is now officially the commander of the department's Community Relations Unit he has headed since its inception in 2010.

"Sgt. Barton is receiving this promotion tonight because of the work he has done for the past two years," Earle said shortly before Barton took his oath of office for the position of lieutenant. "No doubt that he has earned that for the work that he has performed."

Since he was appointed to head the Community Relations Bureau, Barton has implemented a seventh-grade DARE program in Gloucester Township Public Schools, organized the township's first-ever bike-safety rodeo and clinic for children last year, expanded the electronic community notification system (now run through Global Connect), fostered record attendance in the township's Citizens Police Academy over the last few years, and created a Junior Police Academy Summer Camp that will begin this year.

Barton's promotion to lieutenant, making him commander of the Community Relations Bureau, "serves as a symbol that building a relationship with community members is a critical mission of the Gloucester Township Police Department and fully necessary for effective modern day policing," the Police Department said in a statement.

Mayor David Mayer reiterated that point.

"We certainly congratulate Lt. Barton and our entire police department for what they do day in and day out for our community," he said. "As Chief Earle mentioned, two years ago, they set out on a new course of community policing—a new system of bringing all of our residents into this process. You are our eyes and ears in that community."

Check back with Gloucester Township Patch throughout the week for more articles from Monday night's Council meeting.