LAKEHURST – It was a night of honor and accomplishment for Borough Police Chief Eric Higgins and his department as he received a certificate of accreditation from the New Jersey State Chiefs Association.
Higgins received the certification during a recent Borough Council meeting, where Mayor Harry Robbins and members of the borough council congratulated the members of the police department on their accomplishment.
“We are very proud of you all,” Robbins said.
Accredited status represents a significant professional achievement and acknowledges the implementation of policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective, according to the NJ State Chiefs Association.
The borough’s police department serves a community of over 2,500 residents and responds to and handles over 11,000 calls for service each year. Officers respond to medical issues, traffic accidents, domestics, neighbor disputes, property crimes, and general calls for assistance.
Higgins discussed the three-year process of gaining the special accreditation and what it meant.
The chief credited Special Officer Melissa Morelli who served as accreditation manager during the process. “I chose her because of how meticulous she is. She kept me on point. It is a very tedious process. She kept this whole process going. I really want to thank her.”
Higgins said that while the department did not need to make a lot of changes to gain the accreditation his officers were very accepting of what had to be done and “I hope they feel very proud tonight. I know I am very proud tonight.”
The NJ State Association of Chiefs of Police has pursued the concept and development of a voluntary statewide law enforcement accreditation program for New Jersey which has resulted in the formation of the NJSACOP Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission. This consists of commissioners with the overall responsibility of adopting program standards, as well as reviewing all assessment reports and approving of all recommendations for the granting of accredited status of applicant.
According to the NJ State Association of Chiefs of Police, accreditation is a progressive and time-proven method of assisting law enforcement agencies to calculate and improve their overall performance. The foundation of accreditation lies in the adoption of standards containing a clear statement of professional objectives.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer attended the presentation and congratulated the department. He said his office has 204 employees and that his office “is an accredited agency. We went through this process and it is an arduous process to say the least so if Melissa was responsible for guiding you through it, she deserves a lot of credit, as does your chief. This ensures that your police department is properly organized and has efficiency with proper record keeping and other areas. And it is an achievement to get me to come out to a council meeting,” Billhimer said joking with members of the Borough Council.
NJSACOP Accreditation Program Director Harry J. Delgado explained during the night’s presentation that participating agencies conduct a thorough self-analysis to determine how existing operations can be adapted to meet these standards and objectives. When the procedures are in place, a team of trained, independent assessors verifies that the applicable standards have been successfully implemented.
“There are about 560 agencies that would be eligible for this accreditation in New Jersey and to date only about 39% of them have made it. Tonight, your police department is now part of that very elite group of law enforcement agencies that have made this kind of commitment,” he said.
Attitudes, training and actions of personnel of New Jersey’s law enforcement agencies best reflect compliance with the standards contained in this program, he said. Policy and procedure based on accreditation will not create mistake-free policing or a crime-free environment for citizens but it shows a commitment to excellence.
Other Ocean County Township police departments and entities who have received accreditation or re-accreditation include Toms River, Seaside Heights, Berkeley, Manchester, Plumsted and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department. “We just added a few more, Ocean Township (Waretown) and Pine Beach,” Delgado said after the presentation.
During the meeting another presentation was made, Mayor Robbins presented a plaque to Jermaine Jackson as the 2019 Citizen of the Year Award. Jackson was joined by his family and joined the police officers assembled in a photo.
In other council business, Councilman Gary Lowe noted $6,000 in repairs on Fire Company vehicles and discussed some work to be done at the fire house, such as the possible replacement of carpet and painting the walls.
“I don’t think we should replace the carpet. We never should have had a carpet,” Lowe said.
“Let’s get a couple of vendors for the painting and floors, public works will probably paint it,” Robbins said.
Councilman James Davis said that he and Borough Clerk Maryanne Capasso would be attending a meeting at McGuire Air Force Base pertaining to development and that he would prepare a report concerning the session for the next council meeting.
Councilman Robert McCarthy and Councilwoman Robin Busch discussed the progress of work done on Willow and Pine streets.
