Chief Marlowe Botti serves as Chief of Police of the West Long Branch Police Department in Monmouth County, New Jersey—a historic appointment that made her the first woman to hold the rank of chief in the borough’s 115-year history. She was sworn in on October 4, 2023, succeeding Chief Paul Habermann, who retired after a 40-year career in law enforcement. As one of three female police chiefs in Monmouth County, Chief Botti has spoken openly about her commitment to paving the way for other women in the profession and serving as a role model for the next generation of officers.
A native of Aberdeen Township, Chief Botti graduated from St. John Vianney High School in Holmdel and earned an associate degree from Brookdale Community College. She was also a bachelor of arts degree candidate at Georgian Court University. Her calling to law enforcement came early—as a teenager on her way to school, she witnessed a serious car accident and the emergency response that followed, and knew immediately that she wanted to be part of that world. She began her law enforcement career in 2001 as a Special Class 1 and 2 Officer in Belmar, followed by a Special Class 2 appointment in Sea Bright in 2003. In 2004, the West Long Branch Police Department hired her as a patrol officer. Within four years, she made detective and was trained by the FBI as a hostage and crisis negotiator. She also joined the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team as a negotiator. She was promoted to sergeant in 2012, where she oversaw a patrol squad, and to lieutenant in 2021, with duties including special event coordination, departmental training, and serving as the municipal counter-terrorism coordinator. Following Chief Habermann’s retirement announcement, she served as acting chief beginning in August 2023 before her formal appointment that October.
Chief Botti leads a department of approximately 23 officers serving a community of roughly 8,600 residents in the borough of West Long Branch, home to Monmouth University. She has been active in mentoring young people considering careers in law enforcement, participating in forums such as the Women in Law Enforcement event hosted by the Monmouth County Vocational School District’s Academy of Law and Public Safety. Most recently, she appeared as an in-studio guest on REELZ’s On Patrol: Live alongside host Dan Abrams and Captain Tom Rizzo. She resides in Middletown with her husband, Thomas Patten, and their two children, Autumn and Thomas.
