By ROBERT LINNEHAN
Wouldn’t it be cool to have one of the top, nationally recognized police departments in the country? If you think so, the Evesham Township Police Department needs your help to receive a prestigious national accreditation.
A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., will arrive in the township April 30, to examine all aspects of the Evesham Township Police Department’s Policy and Procedures, management, operations and support services, Chief Michael Barth announced.
“Verification by the team that Evesham Township Police Department meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process of gaining accreditation, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence,” he said.
According to the CALEA agency, departments that are awarded the certification receive more support from government officials and have a stronger defense against civil lawsuits. The agency also reported that departments that have the certification typically see reduced risk and liability exposure.
Lt. Walt Miller also reported that the department opens itself up to receive more grants from the state and the country with the certification.
Officials will be coming into the township on this Sunday and will look at the policies and practices currently in place at the police department, Miller said. For the past year the department has been documenting everything at the department for this inspection, he said.
“They’ll interview employees, question them on our policies and see if they understand them. They’ll inspect the department and see if we have certain physical elements that we need,” he said. “They will ride along with our officers and judge their performance in comparison with CALEA standards.”
As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Monday, May 2 at 7 p.m. The session will be conducted in the Evesham Township Council Chambers located at 984 Tuckerton Road, Marlton.
If some reason an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would like to provide comments to the assessment team, they may do so by telephone. The public may call 985–6026 on Monday, May 2, between 1 and 3 p.m.
Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA’ s standards. A copy of the standards is available for review at the Evesham Township Police Department, 984 Tuckerton Road, Marlton, New Jersey 08053. Or, please call Lieutenant Christopher Chew at 983–1116 to review these standards.
“I welcome the arrival of the on-site assessment team and very much look forward to the detailed examination of departmental operations that will follow. The accreditation process has been immensely valuable in identifying the best practices in law enforcement and providing the guidance necessary to allow us to refine police operations,” Barth said. “Without question, we are better positioned to provide efficient and effective law enforcement serve, with greater accountability and less risk as a result of the process.”
The department will hear if it was approved for the accreditation in either July or November, Miller said.
