16 Agencies Achieve Accreditation and Reaccreditation Status

MARLTON, N.J. - March 30, 2015 - PRLog -- The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police is pleased to announce the accomplishments of eight agencies that recently achieved accredited status, one agency was awarded their second reaccreditation and seven others were reaccredited for the first time. Accreditation is a method that assists law enforcement agencies in appraising and enhancing their overall performance. The foundation of accreditation is based on the adoption of standards containing a clear statement of processional objectives. The eight newly accredited agencies join one hundred thirty two agencies that have been accredited thus far in New Jersey. Accreditation manager Harry J. Delgado, Ed.S. stated that “NJSACOP Accreditation is the standard of excellence in policing in New Jersey.”

At the March 19^th meeting of the NJSACOP Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission, the Stanhope Police Department, Kinnelon Police Department, Township of Union Police Department, City of Paterson Police Department, North Haledon Police Department, Saddle River Police Department, Rockaway Borough Police Department and Ocean Gate Police Department were approved for initial accreditation. The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department, Wall Township Police Department, Butler Police Department, Sea Girt Borough Police Department, Cape May Police Department, Deal Police Department, Nutley Township Police Department and Eatontown Police Department earned reaccreditation status, meaning they were initially accredited at least three years ago and continue to meet accreditation standards.

Attaining accreditation and reaccreditation represents a significant professional achievement. As Sea Girt Borough Police Chief Kevin Davenport noted, “The Sea Girt Police Department has embraced this elite process and recognizes this as a blueprint to success and professionalism within our agency.”

The voluntary process requires the participating agencies to conduct a thorough analysis of its current operations to determine how to meet the standards and objectives of accreditation status. Once the procedures are in place a team of trained, independent assessors verifies that applicable standards were implemented. Chief Douglas Scheer, Rockaway Borough PD explained, “The process was long and arduous but has helped us to achieve a higher level of professionalism. We look forward to continuing our high standards and serving our community with pride.” The process can take over a year to achieve and can lead to changes being made to the day-to-day operations. Chief Reece Fisher of Ocean Gate PD is “very proud of [Ocean Gate Police Department’s] officers and employees who adapted quickly and maintained a high degree of enthusiasm with the internal changes during the Accreditation process. Without the tedious work ethic of the Accreditation Manager and the support of the Governing Body this may not have been possible.”

Butler Police Chief Ciro Chimento believes that “The accreditation process allows us to be a much more professional and efficient agency in order to better serve our community. Constant strides toward improving the Butler Police Department will certainly aid our relationships with our community partners.  The accreditation process is a vital part of those improvements.” The accreditation and reaccreditation process can be a strenuous one, but by working cohesively, the participating agencies can attain accreditation status. Eatontown Chief Mike Goldfarb summarizes, “The Eatontown Police Department is proud to be honored with our re-accreditation status from the NJSACOP.  This was truly a team effort as all of our personnel believe in the program and have worked hard to attain this status.  Knowing that we are operating under the best practices and policies has earned us the confidence of our residents and business owners, as well as the continued support of our elected officials.  It also affords us the knowledge that officer safety is paramount in all that we do.”