Politics & Government
Police Department Meets Accreditation Standards
By meeting the standards, insurance premiums will be reduced and the department's professionalism will be enhanced.
The Manchester police department has met accreditation standards, according to township officials.
Inspectors visited Manchester last October to check that the department is in compliance with the 41 policies and 112 standards required for state accreditation, and the official accreditation word was given earlier this month, according to Chief of Police Brian Klimakowski, who spoke with Patch at the regular Council meeting held last night.
By meeting the standards set forth by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Klimakowski has said that insurance premiums will be reduced and the department's professionalism will be enhanced.
Find out what's happening in Manchesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Council President Craig Wallis was among the township officials present when inspectors visited the department in late September for the assessment.
At the Council meeting last night, Wallis said: "in the long term, it's going to save us on liability insurance, it ensures the officers are completely trained and completely certified, and it makes the police department even more professional than they were before. It's really a big positive for the police department and the town itself, and I'm proud they did it."
Find out what's happening in Manchesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
To ensure the process went smoothly, the department enlisted the help of The Rodgers Group, a consulting firm founded by former New Jersey State Police Lt. Col. Frank Rodgers for a fee of $37,000.
In addition to the prestige it brings a department, Manchester will be able to save money on law enforcement insurance, Klimakowski has said.
The initial accreditation fee is $5,000 and the department will have to pay a re-accreditation fee of $1,500 every three years.
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.
Once accreditation is achieved, the work does not stop there. A department can lose the status if policies and proofs are not maintained, Klimakowski said.
