LMPD Superintendent Michael McGrath Reflects On Policing Career

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — Lower Merion Police Department Superintendent Michael McGrath is hanging up his badge after a nearly five decade law enforcement career in Lower Merion Township.

The longtime member of the force and superintendent of 15 year will retire on March 31.

McGrath shared some insights, reflections, and more about his time, serving the township with Patch as he plans to exit the role.

What drew you to law enforcement?

I originally went to community college for business but always had an interest in law. I didn’t necessarily want to become a lawyer, so I started to study criminal justice. That led me to finish my studies in criminal justice at West Chester University.

Name some initiatives/actions undertake by the department during your tenure that you are most proud of.

Increased training on use of force and de-escalation techniques to resolve critical incidents with the lowest level of force necessary. Obtained international accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Less than 5 % of law enforcement agencies in the U.S. have successfully obtained CALEA status. Introduced Naloxone program to treat overdose cases in LMT and was co-chair of the PA Naloxone Law Enforcement Advisory Group that promoted police department participation in the program statewide. Posted our police department manual on the department website to provide public access to our procedures and policies (could only find 2 or 3 other PA police departments that also did so in 2016 when we started doing so).

Do you have any particularly fond memories from your time with the department?

So many over the years from assisting the community to recover from Hurricane Sandy to traveling with 15 other LE Commanders from states in the Northeast to Israel for a 9-day Anti-terrorism Training seminar sponsored by the ADL. The real joy of this job is seeing the positive impact of the work we do that betters the lives of everyone in the community, whether it is a life-saving event, reuniting missing loved ones, helping victims recover their stolen property or seeing that those responsible for harming them are held accountable via the courts.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during your time as superintendent?

Clearly the Pandemic leads the list. As the world shut down, we continued reporting to work every day to assist in the response in any way that we were needed. We had to immediately adapt and adjust our operations on the fly to both protect the health of our residents and our officers as we provided police services. The Papal visit in 2015 started with preplanning that began 8 months prior to the visit. Since the Pope was staying in LM during his stay in the Philadelphia area, we were part of the joint Federal, State, and local taskforce assembled to ensure a safe and uneventful visit to our area. Currently our biggest challenge is the same facing police agencies everywhere and that is recruitment. Nationwide, departments are finding it difficult to refill positions lost to attrition as fewer people are showing an interest in entering the police field.

Do you have a parting message/words for the people of Lower Merion Township, township staff, administration, etc.?

It has truly been an honor and pleasure working here in Lower Merion for the past 45 years with a long list of incredible people both past and present. I am very happy to be leaving a great department that I believe is positioned to continue to serve our community in a manner that reflects honor and dedication to service to our fellow citizens. I wish nothing but the best for the future Superintendent, our terrific officers and civilian staff and the entire Lower Merion community.

Can you describe your ideal successor?

I believe that the township is looking for someone that understands the core mission of a police department is to deliver professional police services with compassion and respect for everyone we encounter. That person should be open and out in the community so that they can hear directly from the community their needs and desires. The department’s leader needs to continue to understand that we are most effective when we work as a team and provide an environment where our men and women in our department can utilize their skills and abilities to do their job in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

What are your plans after leaving law enforcement?

I plan to spend more time with a growing family, travel, do some training and instruction on various LE related topics. My wife and I also enjoy biking and heading to the Jersey shore with our family when we can so we will have more time for that as well.