North Wildwood – The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) and the New Jersey Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (NJLEAC), by a unanimous vote granted the North Wildwood Police Department their official re-accreditation status.
NJSACOP Accreditation Program Director Harry Delgado explained the significance of re-accreditation and what it means to both the Police Department and residents at the City of North Wildwood Council meeting on September 5, 2023. “It is the opinion of the assessment team that the North Wildwood Police Department is a highly professional and committed agency which exemplifies all the tenets of Law Enforcement Accreditation at the state and national level. Therefore, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and the New Jersey Law Enforcement Commission congratulates Chief John Stevenson, Accreditation Manager Captain Katherine Madden, the members of the North Wildwood Police Department, the Mayor, the Council, and those citizens they so proudly serve, for achieving their third state accreditation cycle, joining a very exclusive group of law enforcement agencies that have made this important commitment to excellence in policing.”
The rigorous formal re-accreditation process examines the agency every three years and entails many phases. A “mock” evaluation is used to identify any issues or areas of concern that might not meet NJLEAC standards. After the “mock” has been completed, the final evaluation, an intensive, two-day, virtual evaluation of all departmental procedures and policies, follows. The typical evaluation involves verifying compliance of more than 112 separate law enforcement policies and standards and touches upon every aspect of policing from racial profiling to administrative procedures; from operations to promotions; from use of force to pursuit policy.
The final evaluation report by the assessor team leader is submitted to the NJSACOP Accreditation Program Director and upon review; it is forwarded to the Accreditation Commission. The report represents a comprehensive, complete and detailed analysis of the subject department and usually is 25-30 pages. Organizations that receive accreditation are re-evaluated every three years to ensure that they maintain accreditation standards. Accredited organizations may qualify for a significant discount in their liability insurance which helps justify the time, effort and expense involved in achieving accreditation.
NJSACOP is a professional membership organization serving New Jersey’s law enforcement. Its mission is to promote and enhance the highest ethical and professional standards at every level of law enforcement throughout New Jersey and become the primary vehicle for the development of excellence in law enforcement leadership throughout the state.
