LONGPORT – Police Chief Frank Culmone Wednesday presented Inauguration Service Awards to five Longport Police Officers who traveled to Washington, D.C., Jan. 20 to keep the Capitol safe during the 60th Inauguration.
The officers spent three days in the capital and were welcomed by Metro Police. Their stay included a day of sightseeing, a day of briefings with Metro Police Special Operations, Secret Service and U.S. Marshalls Service, and a day on patrol, where they had to completely change their plan to deal with the situations at hand.
Lt. Ray Burgan, Sgt. Shaune Slattery, and Officers Frank Lupperger, Dean Tibbitt and Jonathan Saggese were among the 28,000 police officers who were part of a federal Task Force dedicated to ensuring the peaceful transfer of power and public safety during the event.
Longport Police Chief Frank Culmone presents five Longport Police Officers with Inauguration Service Awards, March 29, 2025.Burgan detailed their activities during the three-day operation.
According to Burgan, Inauguration Day started at 4 a.m. with breakfast with 3,000 officers at the Smithsonian. They were stationed at Pennsylvania and Constitution avenues in front of the Canadian Embassy. There were no major disturbances, and they saw the president pass their location twice during the day, which was cold, between 12-26 degrees, but with the wind chills it was much colder.
“These guys did an outstanding job in that atmosphere,” Burgan said. “In that atmosphere where there is so much on the line, we didn’t know what we were walking into and with the last election we had no idea what we would encounter. We did have to report some suspicious activities.”
Burgan thanked the present and past Longport governing bodies and the chief for allowing the officers to participate in the inauguration detail.
Culmone presented each officer with an exceptional service award and a commendation pin that they can proudly display on their uniforms.
Culmone said the process of getting the Longport officers to the inauguration started six months in advance before anyone knew who the next president would be.
“Their professionalism, vigilance and swift response to challenges were crucial in maintaining a secure environment for dignitaries, participants and the public,” Culmone said.
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