Brick PD Earns Elite Accreditation

The Brick police department has earned an elite, voluntary accreditation from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.

The accreditation follows an 18 month-long process which involved the development of 82 policies that covered 112 best practice standards, and a subsequent assessment of those standards by an NJSACOP team.

The accreditation is not just a feather in the Brick department's cap – being an accredited agency can mean lower insurance rates and can bolster the department's arguments in legal matters.

"This department passed with flying colors," said Mitch Sklar, NJSACOP's executive director.

The average time it takes an agency to go through the accreditation process is 24 months, said Chief Raymond J. Hayducka of the South Brunswick Police Department, NJSACOP's current president. Brick's better-than-average time is a testament to the department's teamwork and standards that were already in place, he said.

"Brick Township has always had a great reputation, and this just further solidifies it," said Hayducka.

"The written policies, the standards we've committed to keeping ourselves accountable to, is a roadmap to accountability," said Brick Police Chief Nils R. Bergquist. "The policies are developed to fit our police department. We have always been strong on our policies for many years, long before I arrived as chief. But what this has done is force us to look at our operations every day."

To keep its accreditation, Bergquist said, the department must adhere to all of the 112 standards covered under its policies and maintain a file of proofs that all are being followed.

"It should be very reassuring to the citizens that we are following those best practices," said Bergquist.

The accreditation is valid for three years, after which the department must go through the entire process again, including a full analysis of its policies and on-site visits by NJSACOP assessors.

"It's a continuing process of self-improvement, self-evaluation and best practices," said Sklar.