Crime & Safety

Lieutenant Leaves Chester Township Police

Thomas Schmieder retires from the Chester Township Police force.

For an officer whose duties included regularly speaking to the press, Lieutenant Thomas Schmieder's announcement of his June 1 2012 retirement came as a surprise late this morning.

"Today is my last day working with the Township of Chester. Please direct all future correspondence to my replacement, Lt. Thomas Williver," Schmieder said via e-mail. "Except for traffic related issues which should be directed to Ptl. Christopher Cavanagh."

Williver is a 12-year veteran of the Chester Police, coming to the force in 1999 after three years as a patrolman in Morris Plains. Williver is a former Aviation Electrician's Mate 3rd Class for the Coast Guard who is due to be promoted from Sergeant on June 6.

Find out what's happening in Mendham-Chesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Schmieder began his career with the Chester Township Police in 1989 as a patrol officer. Over the course of his career he has served as the Drug Abuse  Resistance Education Officer and traffic safety officer.

Schmieder was promoted to sergeant in 2001, and earned his lieutenant's bars in May of 2011. 

Find out what's happening in Mendham-Chesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This story is developing and we will have more on Schmieder's retirement when we profile the soon-to-be-ex-public information officer.

In a career of public service that spans over two decades, we're sure Lt. Schmieder's impact was felt around Chester. Share well-wishes in our comments below!


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.