There’s a new deputy police chief in West Deptford.

Samuel DiSimone, who’s been with the department since 1994, was promoted from lieutenant to the deputy chief’s post Thursday night, filling the vacancy left when former deputy chief Glenn Dobbins retired last year.

It’s another step up the ladder for DiSimone, who’s spent his career here, rising from the patrol division up through the ranks, though he said he never expected he’d end up this high up when he first joined the force in 1994.

“I was just hoping to get through probation,” he said. “You just do your job the best you can, and let the chips fall where they may.”

DiSimone, who’s been everything from lead internal affairs officer to a school resource officer to a police academy instructor, said his fellow officers make the job worthwhile, and make attaining his new rank possible.

“I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else—I absolutely love it,” he said. “I truly believe I work in the best department in Gloucester County.”

Current police Chief Craig Mangano called DiSimone a dedicated, hardworking officer who puts everything he has into the job and the township.

“He has had an outstanding career,” Mangano said. “He’ll make a fine deputy chief.”

Besides his police experience, DiSimone has a masters degree in public administration, and is also a recent graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy, a prestigious law enforcement training program which takes only the top one percent of applicants.

While at the FBI National Academy, DiSimone had the chance to train alongside top officers from departments around the country and the world, and said after graduation he found much in common with his fellow officers, as they were trained in leadership and managerial skills.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re working in West Deptford or Los Angeles,” he said of his experience in the program. “Right now, everybody is going through the same problems.”