NJFOP congratulates two of our very own members who have received the under 40 International Chiefs of Police awards. We are extremely proud of both, Billy Walsh and Kevin Carey.
Chief Kevin Carey, 37, has been at the forefront of reorganizing and reenergizing the Collingswood Police Department. Since being promoted to chief, he has made great efforts to develop a relationship with staff in the police department, the Collingswood school district, and the community. He is well-known and well-like by the agency’s employees and considered accessible and committed by the residents of Collingswood.
From a young age, Chief Carey was drawn toward helping others and found pride in his ability to empathize with others to make them comfortable. These attributes have served him in his position as police chief and have grown into a passion to make societal change by inspiring others. Some of his accomplishments include modernizing and reorganizing the community outreach programs. These programs include, for example, a chaplain program for residents and officers who experience trauma, an addiction counseling intervention program, Coffee with a Cop, and the agency’s first L.E.A.D. program for fifth-grade students. He also reestablished CIT training for Collingswood officers. Chief Carey views engaging with the community an essential part of furthering the agency’s mission.
Lieutenant William Walsh, 35, entered the law enforcement profession at age 16 when he became a police dispatcher. He is passionate about both serving his community and aiding his fellow officers and is recognized as a trusted colleague and committed leader.
Lieutenant Walsh has learned firsthand the dangers of mental illness and emotional distress within the law enforcement community through the suicide deaths of two fellow officers, as well as witnessing a member of the public take his own life. These tragedies inspired the focus of his graduate and postgraduate studies, and he developed curricula to help bring attention to improving the health and wellness of the law enforcement community. His commitment can be seen in his officer health and wellness courses, which are currently taught in New Jersey police academies and presented to law enforcement and corrections agencies and organizations. He also spoke on support systems for officers at the 2017 IACP Annual Conference. Lieutenant Walsh feels a strong calling to mentor the next generation of officers as an adjunct criminal justice professor and police academy instructor. He continues to inspire other officers to further their studies.
Lieutenant Walsh also gives back to the community, most notably by developing his community’s first citizen’s police academy, designed to educate residents and dispel myths by shedding light on topics such as deadly force, police distress, the investigative process, and internal affairs.
