Department’s voluntary assessment, if successful, would make it the only agency in county to be accredited by state police chiefs association
By: Marjorie Censer
The Princeton Borough Police Department will undergo a voluntary assessment in February which, if successful, would make it the only agency in Mercer County to be accredited by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.
Though former borough Police Chief Charles Davall initiated the process nearly three years ago, the department first began preparing for the evaluation roughly a year ago under Chief Anthony Federico, Lt. Dennis McManimon said. The four-day assessment will begin Feb. 25.
Members of the state Public Safety Accreditation Coalition will visit the department to review files, inspect facilities, meet the public, hear presentations from officers and ride along on patrol. The accreditation, if granted, means that the department will have met specific requirements and standards set forth by the police chiefs’ association.
Lt. McManimon said preparing for accreditation has forced the borough department to essentially retrain its officers and rework its documentation process.
"It caused us to look at everything we do and how we do it," he explained.
He said he spent the summer rewriting the directives for officers, and every officer has had to sign off on the new standards.
The process also calls for improved documentation it’s not enough to say the department is implementing a program, Lt. McManimon explained. The department has to provide detailed records of how it is implementing that.
"We have been doing it the right way," he said. "But now we’re documenting that we’re doing it the right way."
The department has made several improvements to its operations in preparation for the assessment, the lieutenant said. For instance, more firearms’ lockers for officers have been installed and uniformed officers are now required to wear bulletproof vests at all times. Lt. McManimon said the Police Department also installed a new backup system for its computers.
"It’s really forced us to look within from out," he said.
But the process has been labor-intensive, he said, and he understands why many departments particularly small ones might hesitate to undergo it. The workload was the primary reason the borough didn’t seek accreditation before, even though it’s been available since 1979.
Accreditation, if granted, would last for three years before the department would be reassessed. The status lowers the department’s insurance rate, Lt. McManimon said, and improves the public’s perception of the department.
In addition, he said the standards required for accreditation improve the agency.
"If you adhere to them, it’s just inherent that you’re going to have a much more professional organization," he said.
Egg Harbor Township Police Chief John Coyle and Stockton State College Police Chief Glenn Miller will conduct the evaluation, developed by the police chiefs’ association.
Despite the benefits the department has already seen, Lt. McManimon said he, as well as the other officers, are anxious for the assessment to be complete.
"I think everybody’s going to breathe a sigh of relief when it’s over," he said.
The public is invited to a meeting 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at Borough Hall to share comments with the assessors. Those who can’t attend may call the assessors at (609) 497-4895 between 9 and 11 a.m. Feb. 27.