Butler Police Honored for Accreditation

The Butler Police Department received both state and national recognition Tuesday night as it was presented with awards to commemorate its law enforcement accreditation.

Before presenting an award to recognize the department during the Butler Council meeting, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi said he was not surprised that the “top-notch agency” reached this honor and that the accreditation was merely an extension of the great work that has been put in over the years.

“I really think it speaks to the heart of an agency that chooses to [improve its standards and procedures] when it doesn’t have to,” Bianchi said.

Mayor Robert Alviene echoed a similar sentiment, saying that accolades should extend past the night’s presentations and that Butler’s officers “should have their hands shaked every day.”

Butler police Chief Edward Card explained before the presentations that the department had decided about a year and a half ago that it would try to achieve accreditation, which state accreditation manager Harry Delgado described as the certification by an independent regional authority that a law enforcement agency has met 112 nationally recognized standards.

“In today’s complex society, police agencies are notoriously scrutinized by the courts, the press and the public,” Delgado said. “Many agencies seek accreditation to ensure the public the agency meets the high standards for professionalism, training and discipline, exactly what all of us would expect from a police department.”

In addition to looking over a department’s policies, accreditors also analyze individual patrol staffs to make sure the prescribed procedures are being implemented and carried out on a daily basis, Card said.

Delgado, who presented an award on behalf of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and the New Jersey Law Enforcement Commission, said Butler’s department is one of only 70 of more than 500 across the state to achieve this accreditation.

The benefits, he said, are significant, with accredited agencies witnessing 11 percent fewer professional liability claims and 18 percent fewer worker compensation claims. Additionally, Delgado said accreditation helps defend police departments against lawsuits and citizen complaints.

Bianchi, who works closely with all of the county’s 44 law enforcement agencies, said one of the major traits of the borough’s police agency is that its leaders have always “asked the right questions.”

“We may not have always necessarily agreed, but there’s always been a professional dialogue,” Bianchi said. “They are invested.”

After receiving a great amount of recognition during the presentation for his leadership in implementing the practices leading to accreditation, Card deflected the honor back to the members of his agency.

“It makes it easy for me to look good when there are such great people around me,” he said.