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| J. Thomas Manger, Police Chief |
Manger, the 16th police chief in the 97-year history of the Montgomery County Police Department, was sworn in on Jan. 30, 2004. He is the second longest-serving police chief behind James S. McAuliffe, who served from 1955 until 1971.
After graduating from the University of Maryland, Manger began his law enforcement career in 1976 as a “summer cop” in Ocean City, Maryland. On Jan. 3, 1977, he was sworn in as a Fairfax County, Virginia police officer. He rose through the ranks and was the chief of police in Fairfax County from 1998 to 2004. In 1993, he was awarded the Silver Medal of Valor.
Washingtonian magazine recently recognized Manger as one of its 2018 Washingtonians of the Year. He recently completed four years as the president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, elected by his peers from the nation’s largest police departments.
Throughout his career in Montgomery County, Manger received several national awards, including the 2007 Law Enforcement Award from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the 2016 Gorowitz Institute Service Award from the Anti-Defamation League, the 2017 Keeper of the Dream award from the National Immigration Forum and the 2018 FBI National Executive Institute Penwith Award. Manger was also inducted into the Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame in 2012.
