The Manchester Township Police Department was pleased to welcome assessors from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP), on Sunday, February 7, and Monday, February 8, for our triennial accreditation assessment. This thorough, two-day inspection provided the assessment team with an opportunity to tour our facility, see our equipment, meet our officers, and review files and documents all for the purpose of ensuring that the agency was in compliance with each of the 105 Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (LEAP) standards. The accreditation program requires agencies to comply with best practice standards in five basic areas: the administrative function, the personnel function, the operations function, the investigative function, and the arrestee/detainee function.
It is with great pride that we can report that the assessment went smoothly and that the assessors were highly impressed with our agency. Furthermore, the assessment team found that we were in compliance with all of the accreditation standards and indicated that they would recommend that we be re-accredited. Over the next several weeks, the assessment team will complete a formal report documenting what they observed during the two-day assessment and submit it to the NJSACOP Accreditation Commission for review. The granting of official accredited status is done by the commission which we anticipate will take place at their March 10th hearing.
Entering into the process to achieve and maintain this prestigious status is voluntary and was first undertaken by the agency in 2012. This was done to ensure that the agency was operating in accordance with industry best practices and served to give the public the confidence that our agency functions at the highest levels. Achieving accredited status results in greater accountability within the agency, reduced risk and liability exposure, stronger defense against civil lawsuits, increased community support and more confidence in the agency’s ability to operate efficiently and respond to community needs.