After 25 years in the borough police department and 50 years as a resident, Lt. Stephen Camiscioli had his official radio signoff into retirement on Oct. 28.
Friends, family, members of the Haddonfield Auxiliary Police, Haddon Fire Company and EMS, borough employees and residents wished him well as he moved onto the next stage of his life and career. Camiscioli hopes to continue his work in public service with the state as a contractor and in emergency management disaster relief.
Camiscioli spent 10 years as a detective, 10 as a patrolman and five in administration working in internal affairs. Police Chief Jason Cutler noted that Camiscioli’s clearance rate while working at the detective bureau was close to 100 percent.
“It’s just amazing what kind of man he is, what kind of person he is, and I’m not telling you guys anything you don’t already know,” Cutler said. “He’s a guy that’ll give you the shirt off his back. He’s had my back.
“ … You truly were a volunteer, a man of the people.”
“Not only is Steve a colleague of mine, we’ve known each other for 25 years,” Cutler added. “I consider him one of my best friends and without him, my tenure here would not have been as fun, would not have been as productive, You could go through a litany of adjectives.
“It’s been an amazing ride.”
“When I first started as director of public safety, Steve was probably the first person to welcome me with super open arms, and it meant the world to me,” said Mayor Colleen Bianco Bezich. “Not only was he willing to teach me things I didn’t know, but in a way that was really friendly, familiar and hopeful.”
Prior to serving with the borough police, Camiscioli had a civilian position for five years in the Philadelphia Police Department and volunteered at the same time with the Haddon Fire Company. He was then offered a position with the Drug Enforcement Administration but decided to join the Haddonfield police.
“The one thing I want to impress upon is if I could, if I may, on top of everything I’ve done, I really do believe I’m blessed in that in my administration I have Lt. (Stu) Holloway, who’s my fellow lieutenant who came in after me, and I have Chief Cutler,” acknowledged Camiscioli, who now lives in Williamstown.
“How nice is that?” he added. “Even before we became our ranks, we were friends, and so then he became chief, I became his lieutenant and Stu became his other lieutenant. How often do you actually get to work with friends?”
Camiscioli noted that in the past 25 years, his proudest achievements included creating the Police Explorers summer camp for kids and working in the detective bureau.
“ … Time has a real funny way of (expressing itself), at least on my end,” Camiscioli reflected. “All the things you didn’t like fade, and all the things you loved and laughed are magnified.”
The lieutenant has advice for anyone considering a police career.
“Go for it, because it is a noble profession,” he said. “And if you don’t like what you see in police work, become part of the solution. Join us, make the change. If there’s something you don’t like, you can sit back and criticize or you can come out and try to change it.”
Camiscioli will be superseded by Lt. Daniel Leverick beginning Nov. 1.
“Officer Leverick? You’re gonna love him,” Camiscioli asserted.
To learn more about the Haddonfield Police Department, visit https://www.haddonfieldpolice.com/.
