Manchester Township swears in top OCPA police officer

Manchester Township has sworn in a new police officer who was near the top of her class at the Ocean County Police Academy.

A small ceremony took place on Wednesday when Mayor Ken Palmer led the swearing in of Patrolwoman Lillian Barber in front of a limited group of family and police personnel.

Ptl. Barber is a 22-year old resident of Mount Holly who was born in Boston, Massachusetts and previously lived in Great Falls, Virginia.

She graduated Langley High School in 2015 and went on to complete a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Sociology, majoring in Criminology.

Ptl. Barber received high academic honors while participating in several programs and clubs including the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority and the Virginia Tech Student Police Academy.

She then moved to New Jersey, attended the Ocean County Police Academy, where Police Chief Lisa Parker said that she held a 100 percent average in academics and excelled in physical fitness, finishing in the top half of her class.

Ptl. Barber began her law enforcement career in Manchester Township as a Special Law Enforcement Officer II in August 2020.

“I’m proud that we have succeeded in adding diversity to the ranks of the Manchester Township Police Department, with Ptl. Barber becoming the third female officer hired since I became Chief of Police in 2015,” Chief Lisa Parker said in a statement.

The intensive Manchester Township Police Department hiring process began in June of 2019, when about 125 individuals submitted their applications for employment.

To become a police officer in Manchester, men and women must first pass a rigorous physical training test.

Applicants need to complete the physical training test which consists of timed pull ups, push-ups and sit-ups before they hit the track to run a mile.

If they reach a minimum of 200 points, it's into the ring to box for about a minute, which is meant to further test an applicants ability in real life situations.

If applicants make it through the physical test, they're given a study guide for the written exam.

Chief Parker looks for signs of character and integrity on the oral exam which follows the written test.

There were 70 applicants in the 2019 testing who completed all portions of the physical exam were invited to participate in the Written Examination phase.

From there, the top scorers went before the Oral Board for extensive interviews.

Those candidates considered for employment underwent a thorough background investigation and submitted to medical, psychological, and drug screenings.

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