Recently, the Hamilton Township Police Division formally accepted a certificate of Reaccreditation from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.

After originally earning accreditation status from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police in 2015, Hamilton’s Police Division earned its reaccreditation status last year and was formally presented with the certificate earlier this month.

“Every law abiding Hamiltonian can be extremely proud of our Hamilton Township Police Division for another job well-done,” says Mayor Kelly Yaede. “On a daily basis, our Police Division demonstrates a genuine commitment to excellence in the area of public safety.  Reaccreditation illustrates this ongoing commitment by continuing to ‘raise th

Hamilton Twp. PD Reaccredited September 10, 2018

Presented January 15, 2019 

Harry J Delgado, Ed.S, NJSACOP Accreditation Program Director

Reaccreditation status represents a significant professional achievement.

• Accredited 43% – reaccredited; 32% 2nd reaccreditation; 12%
• Accreditation is Process!  The foundation of Accreditation lies in the adoption of standards containing a clear statement of professional objectives.
• Accreditation is a progressive and time-proven way of helping law enforcement agencies calculate and improve their overall performances.
• It is the certification by an independent reviewing authority, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police that the accredited agency was carefully measured against an established set of state and national standards and has met or exceeded accepted practices in the field of law enforcement.
• Research shows that accredited agencies have 11% fewer police professional liability claims, 18% fewer worker compensation claims and 31% fewer auto liability claims. Moreover municipalities that participate in a MEL affiliated Joint Insurance Fund (JIFF); stand to receive substantial insurance premium discounts when their police department attains accreditation.

In addition to these fiscal advantages, there are other important benefits of accreditation;

• Accredited agencies are better able to defend against lawsuits and citizens’ complaints.
• Accreditation provides objective evidence of an agency’s commitment to excellence in leadership, resource management, and service delivery.
• Government officials can be more confident in the agency’s ability to operate efficiently and meet community needs.
• Accreditation embodies the precepts of community oriented policing. It creates a forum in which police and citizens work together to prevent and control challenges confronting law enforcement and provides clear direction about community expectations.
• Accreditation standards give the Chief a proven management system of written directives, sound training, clearly defined lines of authority, and routine reports that support decision making and resource allocation.
• Officers in accredited agencies are able to take pride that they have been objectively recognized for their professionalism and adherence to the highest standards.

Example of exemplary performance.

Hamilton Township has 58 schools in its jurisdiction. The agency has made a

significant commitment to increasing the police footprint in the schools, with visible

presence and expansion of the LEAD program. The agency also built a Safety Town

near police headquarters, which is a virtual community (funded through the P.A.L.)

geared towards bicycle education for primary school children.

The Hamilton Township Police Department under the direction of Chief James M Stevens has achieved reaccreditation demonstrating his commitment to maintaining its accredited status and adhering to state and national best practices in the field of law enforcement.

The Hamilton Township Police department is a professional organization with disciplined and well trained personnel. Their leadership is progressive and forward-thinking. The high level of competence, leadership and professionalism is evident within the agency.

It is the opinion of the assessment team that the Hamilton Township Police Department is a highly professional and committed agency which exemplifies all of the tenets of Law Enforcement Accreditation at the state and national level.

Therefore, The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and the New Jersey Law Enforcement Commission, congratulates Chief James M Stevens, Accreditation Manager Lieutenant Jeffrey Martin, the staff of the Hamilton Township Police Department, The Mayor and Council and those citizens they so proudly serve, for achieving reaccreditation, joining a very exclusive group of law enforcement agencies that have made this important commitment to excellence in policing. Congratulations!

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