EATONTOWN — After meeting more than 100 standards in five basic areas, the borough’s Police Department achieved reaccreditation.
At the Borough Council’s May 27 meeting, Harry Delgado, accreditation program manager at the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP), presented the certificate of accreditation to Police Chief Michael Goldfarb.
“Out of approximately 470 agencies that would be eligible to apply for accreditation, Eatontown is one of only 132 agencies that are currently accredited,” Delgado said, adding that the number of departments earning reaccreditation is even fewer. “ … So it’s certainly an elite group.”
In order to obtain reaccreditation, Delgado said the department had to meet more than 100 standards in five categories: administration; personnel; operations; investigation; and handling of arrestees, detainees and prisoners.
“The Eatontown Police Department is one of the best departments in all of the state,” he said. “They follow the best practices that are recognized not only in the state of New Jersey, but nationally.
“They have met the standards to make sure that are maintaining the highest level of professionalism.”
Goldfarb said the accreditation process is a great way for the department to review and improve overall performance.
“Becoming an accredited agency was one of my top priorities when I was named chief of police,” he told council members.
“When we originally received accreditation [in 2011], we were one of the first to receive it. And as soon as we reached that goal, it became a goal again, and we continued to improve upon our performance while preparing for our reaccreditation, which comes around every three years.”
In 2011, the department received the accreditation status of NJSACOP and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) National Recognition.
In 2013, NJSACOP terminated its relationship with CALEA to establish its own accreditation program, which Goldfarb said encompasses the same high standards and practices utilized daily by the members of the department.
The accreditation program is tailored specifically to the needs of the New Jersey law enforcement community.
“This reaccreditation is a tribute to all the men and women of the Eatontown Police Department who work extremely hard for us to maintain that status,” he said.
Goldfarb said the reaccreditation makes the department a leading agency among peers.
“It provides us with the best policies, procedures and practices that have been recognized as the best throughout the county, state and nationally,” he said.
During the presentation, Goldfarb thanked the members of the department’s accreditation team, which includes Lt. Kenneth Kleinman, Sgt. Anthony Guido, Patrolman Ryan Hennelly and Special Officer James Rolly.
“These four individuals worked tirelessly to prepare us for this reaccreditation and also got us ready for our two-day, inhouse reaccreditation inspection, which we passed with flying colors due to their hard work,” Goldfarb said.
Mayor Dennis Connelly, a former member of the department, congratulated Goldfarb and the members of the department.
“This is not something that is given out easily, and this is the second consecutive time they have received accreditation from the state. And they did it in-house,” he said. “Our officers did the work and got certified, which is a big accomplishment.”