Sheriff's Office granted accreditation

NEWTON — The Sussex County Sheriff’s Office has been granted accreditation by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police through its Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission.

On June 11, the Sussex County sheriff’s was found to have fulfilled all of the accreditation standards as established by the New Jersey State Association of chiefs of police and was awarded a three-year certificate of accreditation.

A team of assessors from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police reviewed and examined all aspects of the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services as part of a verification process to ensure the agency met the Law Enforcement Accreditation Commissions’ standards to achieve accreditation. Accreditation is a process that takes approximately three years to accomplish.

It is a progressive and time proven way of helping law enforcement agencies calculate and improve overall performance.

The accreditation program requires agencies to comply with the best practice standards in five basic areas: the administrative function, the personnel function, the operations function, the investigative function, and the arrestee/detainee function. Upon completion of their review, they reported their findings to the Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission to make the determination if the Sheriff’s Office was to be granted accredited status.

Some of the benefits of becoming an accredited law enforcement agency include a greater accountability within the agency, reduced risk and liability exposure, stronger defense against civil lawsuits, increased community advocacy, and more confidence in the agency’s ability to operate efficiently and respond to the needs of its community. Additionally, accredited agencies may also be eligible for a discounted insurance rate.

To date, there are 138 law enforcement agencies within New Jersey that are either accredited or are actively seeking accreditation from the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police. The Sussex County Sheriff’s Office is only the second law enforcement agency within Sussex County to be granted such accredited status.

At a recent Freeholder meeting, Sheriff Strada was presented with the certificate of completion by representative from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.

“This is another step in enhancing and improving the services we provide to the citizens of Sussex County," Sheriff Michael Strada said.