The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 25, Number 4 | Page 15

The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | April 2019 NJSACOP LEAP Commission Holds 2019 Spring Hearing and Awards Twenty-Eight Agencies Accreditation and Reaccreditation Harry J. Delgado, Ed.S. Accreditation Program Director On Thursday, March 14, 2019 twenty-eight (28) law enforcement agencies were invited to appear in front of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police Accreditation Commission to state their case in pursuit of accreditation after months of undergoing the rigorous process. Some agencies have invested years in pursuit of excellence by following accepted state and national best practices in law enforcement. Accreditation can positively shape the culture of an agency and hold itself to the absolute highest standards of law enforcement excellence. This is truly the case in the Woodbury Police Department. The department has just completed their fourth accreditation process. Initially accredited in 2006, the department has been reaccredited three times since then. Chief Thomas Ryan stated recently during a presentation in front of his township council, “Our new generation only knows the accreditation best practices model. That is the only law enforcement model they have worked with.” Chief Ryan added, “The officers learn the right way from the start and in turn teach and mentor others the same behavior and discipline.” Detective Sergeant Brian Boucher, Accreditation Manager for the Woodbury Police Department, acknowledges that the success of accreditation in his department is due to the hard work of each and every one of their employees. He stated that, “without the buy in from single member, sworn, civilian staff, and part-time officers their longevity as an accredited department would not have been possible. The recognition as a long standing accredited agency is a testament to their hard work.” The following agencies received accreditation or reaccreditation: Salem County Prosecutor’s Office, Salem County Sheriff’s Office, Plainsboro Police Department, Seaside Heights Police Department, Brick Township Police Department, Woodbury Police Department, Pequannock Police Department, Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, Mount Olive Police Department, Washington Township (Gloucester) Police Department, New Brunswick Police Department, Ramsey Police Department, South Amboy Police Department, South River Police Department, Cranford Police Department, Princeton University Public Safety, Lodi Police Department, Atlantic Highlands Police Department, Boonton Township Police Department, North Plainfield Police Department, Moorestown Township Police Department, Neptune Township Police Department, Allendale Borough Police Department, Closter Police Department, Spotswood Police Department, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, Stockton University Police Department. Law enforcement associations, leading educational and training institutions, government agencies, and insurance agencies have all acknowledged that any police agency who receives an accreditation certification is holding itself and its officers to the absolute highest standards in the industry. To date over two hundred agencies have received accredited status through NJSACOP LEAP and many more are engaged in the process. For more information about our program I may be reached at [email protected]. 14