West Deptford Police Praised for Work in Bank Robbery

For their swift handling of the March 20 robbery of the West Deptford Bank of America, West Deptford detectives were cited by the township committee at its May 16 meeting.

Det. Sgt. Michael Cramer, Investigator John Craig, Investigator Jason Sherman and Investigator Jeffrey Pallies were all awarded with certificates of commendable performance for their thorough investigation and quick arrest of suspect Michael J. Rowan—which happened within a 26-hour period.

"It’s of tremendous importance to be able to close out a case of this magnitude in that short amount of time," said West Deptford Police Chief Craig Mangano.

Mangano said that police performed a public service by corraling "a desperate suspect that is going to the extreme of having to hold up a bank." He added that the swift capture of a wanted person is also a deterrent to others.

"It shows criminals that if you are going to come into town and commit this crime, you are going to get caught, and it is going to happen very quickly," Mangano said.

Recognizing good work by individual officers is also great for the overall morale of the department, Mangano said.

"As police officers, you know that your hard work is observed and appreciated," he said, "and I thank the committee for recognizing the hard work of the officers.

"It’s always nice when a department knows that the residents and the elected officials are behind them," Mangano said.