WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP NAMES NEW POLICE CHIEF
Thomas E. Daniels Jr. sworn in as new Woolwich Township Police Chief 
WOOLWICH, NJ
1/26/26
Woolwich Township is excited to announce Thomas E. Daniels Jr. as the community’s new police chief. Daniels was recently sworn in for service at the regular Woolwich Township Committee Meeting on January 20th, 2026.
Daniels has spent his entire career serving the community of Woolwich, starting as a Special Law Enforcement Office (SLEO – I) when he was just 18 years old. Since his start in September of 2000, he continued through the ranks of SLEO II, Patrolman, Detective, Detective Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and Deputy Chief. Since 2014, Daniels has managed Internal Affairs investigations and firearms background investigations for the department. He served as the Municipal Counter-Terrorism Coordinator for fifteen years, and held roles as Terminal Agency Coordinator, Megan’s Law Coordinator, Evidence Control Officer, and Alcoholic Beverage Control Officer.
“25 years – my entire adult life I’ve spent serving in this township,” Daniels said at his swearing in. “Time went by fast and I’m not sure I can find the right words to say what this means to me. I promise I’m going to give this everything I have. I’m going to lead with integrity, serve with honor and do right by this community and this department.”
In addition to his experience within the Woolwich Police Department, Daniels’ has been a distinguished representative to Gloucester County. Throughout his career, Daniels has spent time on the Gloucester County Emergency Response Team, and an additional 12 years on the county’s SWAT team. He was also assigned to the Gloucester County Child Abduction Response Team for over a decade.
Daniels’ experience also extends to State task forces and response units, having been selected for the New Jersey Prosecutor’s Office Gangs, Guns & Narcotics Taskforce. Based on this work, he was chosen to be an instructor for the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, where he trained local state and federal narcotics investigators through the Top Gun and UNIT programs for seven years.
“I’ve known Daniels since I first started as Woolwich Park Director,” said Mayor Natalie Matthias. “We worked very closely with the police and I got to know him there. Woolwich is extremely lucky to have someone with his experience as the chief of our police department. It’s not often that you are able to have someone who has spent their entire careers with the same department at the helm.”
Daniels has received commendations including the Medal of Honor and Life Saving with Valor from the Gloucester County Police Chiefs Association, recognition from Congressman Frank LoBiondo, and awards from the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and Fire Chiefs Association.