The Princeton Police Department has been reaccredited by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.
The Princeton Police Department gained its initial accreditation in 2014, and was reaccredited in 2017 and 2020. Accreditation is valid for three years.
Police Chief Jon Bucchere was pleased with the reaccreditation news, following a visit from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police assessment team in April.
When the former Princeton Borough and former Princeton Township police departments were merged, one of then-Police Chief Nicholas Sutter’s top priorities was to become an accredited agency, Bucchere said.
“We were first accredited in 2014 and we have been building on it ever since,” Bucchere said. “Accreditation is one of the highest forms of recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.”
The police chief praised accreditation manager Lt. Matthew Solovay for preparing the Princeton Police Department for reaccreditation.
“Lt. Solovay’s time management skills and attention to detail were simply outstanding,” he said. “His leadership was instrumental in our receiving this achievement.”
The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police’s assessment team visited the Princeton Police Department in April. The team reviewed written material and interviewed police department employees. They visited offices and other places where compliance with state standards could be observed.
Comments on the Princeton Police Department’s performance were solicited from employees and the public.
The assessment team brought back its review of the police department to the full commission to decide whether or not it should be granted accredited status.
Verification by the assessment team that the Princeton Police Department met the commission’s “best practices” standard was part of a voluntary process to remain an accredited police department, Bucchere said.
Accreditation results in greater accountability within the police department, reduced risk and liability exposure and stronger defenses against civil lawsuits, he said.
It also results in increased community advocacy and more confidence in the police department’s ability to operate efficiently and respond to community needs, Bucchere said.