Police Professional Standards Division

The Middletown Township Police Department is seeking Professional State Accreditation.

The success of any police agency is dependent upon the level of trust and confidence the citizens of the community have in the organization's ability to meet their needs and solve their problems. Maintaining the trust and confidence of the community is an active and ongoing process. The Police agency must employ active strategies in which involve all of its members.

The guiding principles of the Middletown Township Police Department are "Pride and Professionalism." The department trains each officer to take pride in their work product and to be professional in their conduct in their interactions with members of the public. At the Middletown Police Department, professionalism is more that just a word, it is a commitment to continually improve ones knowledge, skills and abilities to provide the best possible public services, not only as individuals but also as an organization. One of the ways our organization is working toward maintaining the public's trust and confidence is by seeking state accreditation.

The Middletown Township Police Department, under the auspices of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, has begun the accreditation process, which is a voluntary statewide law enforcement accreditation program specifically designed for New Jersey Law Enforcement Agencies. The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) is an Alliance Partner with the National Commission Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

Accreditation is a progressive and time-proven way of helping law enforcement agencies calculate and improve their overall performance. Participating agencies conduct a thorough self-analysis to determine how existing operations can be adapted to meet accreditation objectives. When the procedures are in place, a team of trained assessors verifies that applicable standards have been successfully implemented. Schools, universities, and hospitals are some of the most well known organizations that are required to maintain accreditation.

There are 110 Standards that address (1) life, health, & safety issues, (2) legal & other critical requirements, and (3) conditions that reduce major risk and high liability exposures. Accreditation is usually completed in two years.

Accreditation benefits agency personnel by requiring that all agency policies and procedures are in written form and are in accord with professional law enforcement standards. This will compel the agency to operate within specific guidelines and makes the agency accountable to the Accreditation Commission. Because accreditation is a coveted achievement that symbolizes professionalism, excellence and competence, the agency personnel will have greater confidence in the effectiveness of their own agency.

Accreditation benefits the community by the agency's ability to prevent and control criminal activity through the effective and efficient delivery of law enforcement services. Citizen confidence is increased in the policies and practices the agency employs. Accreditation will enhance community understanding of our agency and the agency's role within the community, as well as its goals and objectives. In addition, it will help create a forum in which citizens and the police can work together to control and prevent crime, assist citizens in understanding the challenges that confront law enforcement. In turn, citizens can provide input into what they expect from the agency.

As for the agency, accreditation benefits the agency in many ways, such as; providing a frame work for evaluating agency practices and procedures, increases employee input, improves law enforcement community relations, reduces insurance liability costs, reduces the agency's risk and exposure to lawsuits, enhancing planning and promotes the idea of quality performance by all agency personnel.

Our Agency Accreditation Manager is Deputy Chief Frederick Henry. Accreditation is a team effort, therefore all department personnel will be participating in meeting the standards for accreditation and will be required to complete any assigned tasks, as requested, for the accreditation manager. If any member of the agency has any suggestions please bring them to the attention of Deputy Chief Henry.

In addition to seeking accreditation, the Police Department recently upgraded the department's web site as part of the Township's commitment to providing better public services. In the near future and for the first time, the Police Department will have a "Citizen Satisfaction Survey" which can be filled out on line. The importance of the survey is that it will allow members of our community to rate the overall performance of their Police agency. The data obtained from the survey will be used to improve services and correct any misperceptions members of the community may have about the agency.

The Middletown Township Police Department continues to take pride in its quest for professionalism, competence and excellence. Through the accreditation process law enforcement leaders from around the state will publicly recognize our commitment as a professional police agency.