At our Voorhees Township Committee meeting on Dec. 8, Deputy Police Chief April Herrington was named the sixth person in that role in the history of the Voorhees police department (VTPD).
She will will replace Lou Bordi, who is retiring on Dec. 31. Chief Herrington grew up in the township and is a product of its schools, including Eastern. She went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in law and
criminal justice at Rowan University and her master’s in administrative science at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Chief Herrington’s career in Voorhees began in 1998 in the clerk’s office and at municipal court. She was soon hired as the first confidential assistant in the police department and was then inspired to take the Civil Service Test to become a police officer. In 2003, she graduated from the Gloucester County Police Academy.
At graduation, Chief Herrington received the class award for the highest academic average; the merit award voted on by her peers for exceptional performance; and the director’s award presented to the recruit with the highest average in academics, physical training and firearms. She was also the first recruit in the history of the academy to win all three awards.
Chief Herrington has assumed many roles in her two-decade tenure with the township police. She
started as a patrol officer, then advanced to firearms instructor, investigator, detective,
patrol and detective sergeant, patrol bureau lieutenant, Criminal Investigations
Bureau lieutenant, administrative bureau lieutenant and captain of the operations division. She was named deputy chief in 2022.
Chief Herrington’s credentials are impeccable. She is a graduate of the New Jersey State
Association of Chiefs of Police Command and Leadership Academy and since 2006, she’s been
an instructor at both the Camden County Police Academy as well as that in Gloucester County. She has been a certified hostage negotiator since 2007.
Chief Herrington has received specialized training in such areas as anti-terrorism, crisis
negotiations and domestic violence investigations. She is also passionate about keeping our schools safe, all day every day. The township police department was the first in the region to have school security officers protect students, teachers and staff. Chief Herrington plans to continue this vital initiative.
She is also passionate about the well-being of her fellow police officers. For the last four years, she’s been a member of the Multi-Agency Police Peer Support Team, a group that supports officers’ physical, mental and spiritual health.
Our police department has a strong presence in the Voorhees community both on and off duty.
Chief Herrington intends to continue such programs as the Junior Police Academy, Adult Police
Academy and the Voorhees Saves Lives Program. She has also taken a leadership role over the last decade with the Camden County Diocese’s Blue Mass Committee, which annually honors first responders. Last year, she was honored for her commitment and service to this wonderful event.
Chief Herrington intends to continue the positive evolution of our police department, which I believe
is the best in the state. She has already submitted comprehensive six-month and 12-
month plans to the township committee to enhance the growth of our individual police officers
and the department as a whole.
On behalf of my colleagues on the township committee and the entire Voorhees community, congratulations to our new police chief.
The fire department’s annual Cookies with Santa will be held on Saturday at the Kirkwood Fire Station headquarters, 2002 South Burnt Mill Road. Bring your camera to take pictures. This free event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, check township social media platforms.
