LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCREDITATION

The Hillside Police Department began the accreditation process under the direction of Chief Vincent Ricciardi in June of 2019. Once we are awarded accreditation by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police it will represent the first time in our department's history that 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 is in the process of conducting a thorough self-analysis to determine how existing operations can be adapted to meet these standards and objectives which represent national best practices. Once the procedures are fully in place, a team of trained, independent assessors verifies that the applicable standards have been successfully implemented.

Accredited status will represent 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 effort 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.