LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCREDITATION
The Hillside Police Department began the accreditation process under the direction of Chief Vincent Ricciardi in June of 2019 in conjunction with a tremendous amount of meticulous work by our Accreditation Manager, Lt. Qiana Brown, and the cooperation and assistance of all our members. On March 10, 2022 we were awarded accreditation by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. It represents the first time in our department's 104 year history the Hillside's police department has achieved this honor and mark of excellence.
Accreditation is a progressive and time-proven method of assisting law enforcement agencies to calculate and improve overall performance. The foundation of accreditation lies in the adoption of standards containing a clear statement of professional objectives. The Hillside Police Department conducted a thorough self-analysis to determine how to adapt existing operations to meet these standards and objectives which represent state and national best practices. Once the procedures were fully in place, a team of trained, independent assessors verified the applicable standards were successfully implemented.
Accredited status represents a significant professional achievement for the Hillside Police Department. Accreditation acknowledges the implementation of policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective. Benefits include:
- Provides our community with objective confirmation of our commitment to excellence in leadership, resource management, and police service to our community.
- Township officials can be confident in the agency’s ability to operate efficiently.
- Accreditation enhances the community-oriented policing model practiced in Hillside.
- The ability to better defend the police department and Township against lawsuits and citizen complaints
- Provides the police chief with an approved management system
- The Township will realize a discount in insurance premiums for our police department
- Leads to the best trained and most professional police department
This achievement by the Hillside Police Department demonstrates our commitment to constant and unending improvement in all that we do to the benefit of all we serve.
