Accreditation Unit
The Burlington Township Police Officers must maintain a professional image no matter what the circumstances, from answering a false alarm call to a homicide. In society today, many individuals do not respect the police or their job responsibilities, which makes policing even more difficult.
Police officers are required to know criminal, motor vehicle and arrest search and seizure law. Knowledge of the law is not enough; they must also know how to apply the law to keep out of harm’s way. Policies and procedures must be in place to ensure that officers are applying those laws uniformly and fairly across the board. These procedures must cover all aspects of police work, such as use of force, vehicle pursuits, prisoner processing and police dress code.
In addition to having policies and procedures, the department must have a way to manage change and provide a system of checks and balances. In an effort to achieve these goals, the Burlington Township Police Department identified the need to have an outside agency assist with identifying the best practices in law enforcement and provide a means to review the department’s policies and procedures. This ensures that the department is keeping abreast of changes in the field of policing and performing at a high level of professionalism. The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA®) was chosen as a nationally accepted organization in the area of law enforcement agencies and has a reputation for being the best in its class.
CALEA® was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of law enforcement's major executive associations:
- International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP);
- National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE);
- National Sheriffs' Association (NSA); and the
- Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).
The purpose of CALEA®’s Accreditation Programs is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by: maintaining a body of standards, developed by public safety practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives; establishing and administering an accreditation process; and recognizing professional excellence.
In March of 2000, The Burlington Township Police Department attained national accreditation through CALEA®. The process established by CALEA® requires a thorough audit of 459 standards every three years. The department must prove it is in compliance with each standard in order to maintain its accredited status. We have gone through two re-accreditation visits since 2000 and have remained one of five municipal agencies in the state of New Jersey, and only one of 382 municipal police agencies countrywide that has achieved national accreditation.
The accreditation unit is comprised of one sworn officer and a civilian assistant who are responsible for maintaining files on 459 standards that prove the department’s compliance with CALEA®. In addition to this, they also are responsible for assisting the public safety director with researching and developing new programs and procedures.
If you have any questions regarding the accreditation process, please contact the accreditation manager Sgt. Kevin Shoppas at 609-239-5861 or kshoppas46@burltwppd.com.