Her Story
About Julie
I've been in law enforcement for about 23 years, and I'm currently the acting chief of a regional police department, a position I've held since January 2026. I was previously employed with Lawrence Township Police, and when they merged into a regional department in 2023, I became the assistant chief of police. When the chief retired in December 2025, I took over both roles. I was the first female police chief of Lawrence Township Police, which I'd say is a pretty good professional accomplishment. My role is mostly administrative now - I don't make it out into the field as often as I had in the past. In the last 3 years, I've written a lot of grants, and I do the scheduling, manage the day-to-day operations, budgeting of the department, manage the finances, and oversee all of the cases and the sergeants. I oversee the entire department, and whatever comes of that day, that's kind of what my typical day looks like, depending on what is occurring in the community at the moment. I attend a lot of meetings with other stakeholders and keep track of what is happening in the community, preparing plans for upcoming events. I have a bachelor's degree in criminology, and in 2014, I graduated from Temple University with a master's degree in social work while working as a police officer full-time. I did have a license in social work and did some play therapy with children on the side while working as a police officer, so I'm kind of dual-trained in that.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Julie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to hard work. I've had to probably work harder than a lot of the other people around me to get into my position, just because of my gender. It's required dedication and perseverance to overcome the challenges that come with being a woman in a male-dominated field, but that hard work has been essential to achieving the leadership position I'm in today.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
When I first started, I was obviously in a male-dominated field, and I had another female officer tell me that there was no reason why I had to conform to being a manly girl. You don't have to lose your femininity just to be in a profession like this, and so you can still continue to be yourself and to be a woman, even if you're in a male-dominated profession. It's just always stuck with me because as you go into this field, I do get criticized a little bit because I like to paint my nails or wear makeup to work or something to that effect. It's been good to keep in the back of my mind that I can still be feminine while continuing to do a good job. What color my nails are doesn't affect my ability to do my job.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't give up. Continue to pursue your dreams, no matter who tells you you can or cannot do them, because it is possible. You may face challenges and criticism in this male-dominated field, but stay true to yourself and keep working toward your goals.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
It's been difficult for this field in general over the last several years. Recruitment is down, having people wanting to do the job is down, and public scrutiny is up. It's a very hard job, a very difficult job. A lot of very difficult decisions need to be made very quickly, and then there's a lot of public scrutiny after that, and so that is probably the most difficult aspect right now. The challenge is to balance all of that and to be able to accept the decisions that you make in the moment and to stand by those, even when there's scrutiny on them.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I'd say honesty, integrity, and sticking to your ethical standards are most important to me. Especially the farther up the ladder you go, there's people that want you to conform and do things that may not be the right thing to do. Sticking by what is the right thing to do is the most important, even if it's hard. These values guide both my professional decisions and my personal life.
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