MILLTOWN — The Police Department is in the process of qualifying for its first accreditation status.
“In this day and age, with the things going on in law enforcement, I viewed this as an ideal time,” said Police Chief Raymond Geipel, who oversees a department of 15 members.
Accreditation, a concept developed by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP), is a voluntary program that is a method of assisting law enforcement agencies to assess and improve their overall performance, according to the NJSACOP website.
Currently, 123 law enforcement agencies across the state are accredited.
The foundation of accreditation is the adoption of standards containing a clear statement of professional objectives.
According to the NJSACOP website, participating agencies “conduct a thorough self-analysis to determine how existing operations can be adapted to meet these standards and objectives.”
When the process is completed, a team of independent assessors verifies that the standards have been successfully implemented.
“It takes away liability and brings professionalism, accountability and better services,” said Geipel, adding that the process will bring the department’s policies up to date, ranging from how the department handles juvenile investigations to hazardous materials.
The accreditation process in Milltown began on May 4. Geipel said that with the support of Mayor Eric Steeber and the Borough Council, approximately $39,000 was budgeted to bring in the Rodgers Group to work with the department to become accredited.
Geipel said the accreditation process is geared toward the size of the department.
“We’re not as big as Woodbridge and South Brunswick, and our finances cannot afford a huge public safety complex,” he said.
Milltown Police Sgt. Chris Johnson will be the project manager during the accreditation process.
Geipel said the process may take up to a year and will be good for the borough, adding that it will save the borough on liability and insurance costs.