Accreditation
Click here to download the entire Press Release for the Assessment Team Visit on October 31, 2022
Edgewater Park Township Police Department was Awarded Accreditation by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) Law Enforcement Accreditation Program on October 13, 2016. The process of Accreditation does not simply stop with our initial award of Accreditation. Our Police Agency must maintain the level of excellence we have achieved and prove that continued excellence through yearly proofs required by the program, as well as a re-accreditation evaluation of these proofs and department processes. Re-accreditation is applied for every three years and has been awarded each time.
Accreditation status represents a significant personal achievement for our police department. It acknowledges the implementation of policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective, allowing our law enforcement agency to calculate and improve our overall performance. The Standards are categorized into 5 primary functional areas that include: Personnel, Administration, Operations, Investigation, and Arrest/Detainee. Our department is evaluated by NJSACOP Accreditation Program Assessors who view every aspect of our department and its functions. To achieve accreditation, our department must pass every aspect of this assessment.
The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police details the importance and meaning of accreditation in their formal policy statement:
“The foundation of Accreditation lies in the adoption of standards containing a clear statement of professional objectives. Participating agencies conduct a thorough self-analysis to determine how existing operations can be adapted to meet these standards and objectives. When the procedures are in place, a team of trained, independent assessors verifies that the applicable standards have been successfully implemented.”
“The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police has pursued the concept and development of a voluntary statewide law enforcement accreditation program for New Jersey which has resulted in the formation of the NJSACOP Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission, consisting of commissioners with the overall responsibility of adoption of program standards, as well as review of all assessment reports and approval of all recommendations for the granting of accredited status of applicant agencies.”
“The attitudes, training, and actions of personnel of New Jersey's law enforcement agencies best reflect compliance with the standards contained in this program. Policy and procedure based on Accreditation will not insure mistake-free policing or a crime-free environment for citizens. Nor will it ensure an absence of litigation against law enforcement agencies and executives. However, comprehensive and effective leadership through professionally based policy development is directly influenced by a law enforcement program that is thorough, complete, and obtainable, and based on standards that reflect professional best practices.”