Police Anticipate Accreditation Status by End of Year

If all goes according to plan, police department anticipates to be recognized for meeting a state agency's accreditation standards by the end of 2012.

About a year ago, the department began the process of meeting the standards of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, or CALEA, a national nonprofit organization created in 1979 that sets standards for law enforcement. Since then, all of the 41 policies required for accreditation have been vetted by the department and reworked to be in compliance with guidelines. 

"We're probably about 85 percent through the process," said Lt. Todd Malland, who serves as Manchester's accreditation manager. "We're right on track to finish within a year."

Now, proofs are being built to show that the department is able to comply with the standards that have been set. 

"Some were easy and some were very difficult," Malland said.

Redoing the department's rules and regulations, complete with input from officers and the Manchester PBA, was one of the most challenging components to revise. Another change in policy states that semi-annual evaluations of the entire department, including officers, dispatchers, and support and records staff must take place, according to Malland. 

To help, The Rodgers Group, founded by former New Jersey State Police Lt. Col. Frank Rodgers, was contracted last year by the township for $37,000 to complete the process successfully and save the Manchester Police Department from dedicating its officers to the task.

"Essentially, we're acting as contract employees for the town in that we're developing policies customized for Manchester," Rodgers told Manchester Patch . Five Rodgers employees are assigned to Manchester's undertaking.

In addition to the prestige it brings a department, once accredited, Manchester will be able to save money on law enforcement insurance, said Chief of Police Brian Klimakowski.

"Right now we're projected to save $15,000 a year just simply because we're accredited," he said when the process first began. 

The initial accreditation fee is $5,000 and the department will have to pay a re-accreditation fee of $1,500 every three years.

"The first three years, it's basically going to be a wash," Klimakowski said. "We're going to be a little bit ahead."

In those first three years, about $45,000 will be saved in insurance costs, while $42,000 — the $37,000 paid to Rodgers plus the $5,000 accreditation fee — will be spent on earning the status. After that, the department can start banking the insurance savings.

In addition to policy evaluation, some work was done to upgrade department infrastructure, such as evidence storage. A new evidence barcode system implemented in May and a new temporary evidence storage facility was created, according to Malland. 

"As far as major upgrades, we really didn't have to do that," Malland said. "We were there already. We just had to change things a little bit."

Now that the policies are in place, the department must show that they are being followed. 

"It's one thing to have a policy, but if you don't do what the policy says and you can't prove what the policy says, you fall flat on your face," Malland said. 

For example, the police response to Hurricane Irene was used to prove that the department abides by its all hazards plan. The storm last summer led to "mountains upon mountains of paperwork" prepared by Arthur Abline, the township's emergency management coordinator, Malland said. 

"We were able to use all the information he supplied during and after Irene to satisfy 30 standards," Malland said. The documents outlined how the command, support and finance portions functioned. 

A mock assessment with The Rodgers Group should be held in August to ensure the department is prepared. The official on-site inspection by CALEA, which is anticipated to be held over two days in late September or early October, will be advertised and is open to residents.

"We welcome the public to come in during the public inspection," Malland said.

If the department is recommended for accreditation, representatives will again meet with police officials at a board meeting to complete the process.

"Without any hiccups, we anticipate this all being done by the end of 2012," Malland said. 

Once accreditation is achieved, the work does not stop there. A department can lose the status if policies and proofs are not maintained. 

"You have to have proof in all of your standards — there are 112 standards," Malland said. Because of this, accreditation is an ongoing process. "You have to show that you can maintain, or you will lose your accreditation."

Capt. Lisa Parker originally was the manager, but Malland, who served as her assistant, took over since many of his job functions "run hand-in-hand" with the accreditation process, he said. 

"It's an extremely demanding job function, but I'm all the better for it," Malland said. "We're full speed ahead here."