West Deptford PD Gets Boost from Johnson Matthey

Chief Craig Mangano has to deal with the same reality as everyone else: ever-tightening budgets that leave room only for the day-to-day necessities, with little, if anything left over.

But donations like one from chemical company Johnson Matthey, which presented the police with $2,500 at Thursday night’s township committee meeting, go a long way to helping support the department’s mission.

“With equipment being so expensive, and with budgets dwindling due to the economic climate of today, it’s always good to have donations come in to the police department,” Mangano said. “It enables us to go further with doing our job safely and more efficiently, without putting more of a burden on the taxpayers.”

Mangano said the donation from Johnson Matthey will buy the department a pair of ballistic shields–one for the patrol division and one for the detectives–which will be used in potentially dangerous situations, as in a response by a SWAT team or when serving an arrest warrant.

“These ballistic shields, which are very expensive, could maybe help save a police officer’s life, or someone else’s life,” Mangano said.

Johnson Matthey general manager Ted Dolan said the donation comes out of a strong working relationship with the township.

“We’re looking forward to many more successful years,” Dolan said.

Mangano and Mayor Anna Docimo lauded the company’s efforts to give back to the community.

“They’ve been wonderful, wonderful neighbors,” Docimo said. “They’re always there for us.”

Johnson Matthey also made a similar donation to the West Deptford school district last month.