As first reported first by Lower Bucks Source about one month ago, Charles ‘C.J.’ Winik was sworn in at the Thursday night Bristol Township Council meeting.
Township Manager Randee Mazur later confirmed the accuracy of the report, that Winik would take the helm as the new chief as of July 1 in a press release of June 30.
Depending on who you speak with from Bristol Township, the former Chief of Police, “put in” his “paperwork” after serving in that role for more than eight years, due to “health concerns” or Mazur’s want for him to take a more active public role in the community and with the news media when it came to cases that made or were going to make headlines.
Coulton, according to sources with intimate knowledge of the township administration’s inner workings, felt he had a command staff in the form of Lieutenant Sean Cosgrove, Winik and now the official public information officer Sgt. Jason Mancuso, who were or are known to the township community to perform that very critical police/community affairs task.
As one working law enforcement official from an adjacent community said, both these reasons are likely to be true. He added Coulton was a 9 to 5 guy so to speak. He fully trusted the trio to handle anything that came their way. He probably felt it was time “to call it a day” as far as his law enforcement career was concerned. The former chief served on both sides of the Delaware River putting in more than four decades of work.
One of Winik’s most recent activities as a Lieutenant has been putting together what is known as “police reports” press releases issued to the community, the media and Bristol Twp CrimeWatch pages. Apparently, for at least the last few “police reports” Winik has continued issuing those press releases with his name appearing on the releases.
In the past, through email exchanges, he demonstrated a good sense of humor in off-the-record exchanges. To a person living or working within the township, the same thing or theme has been said. “He’s a good dude,” “He’s a good cop and knows how to lead.”
Winik at last night’s meeting after he was officially introduced as the new chief, spent about 1 minute and 30 seconds speaking. His full statement is in the video below.
Bristol Township Chief of Police CJ Winik’s Swearing In Speech July 17, 2025