The Hackensack Police Department (HPD) announced on Thursday that it had once again successfully received re-accreditation by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP), an impressive feat that all police departments in the state aspire to achieve. This was accomplished despite a small group of disgruntled officers attempting to sabotage the process as payback for their exposure in a number of scathing audits that revealed prevailing, problematic deficiencies within the Police Department.
“I am extremely proud of the men and women of our incredible police department for achieving re-accreditation for the second time,” said Mayor John Labrosse. “This is an acknowledgement of their hard work, dedication, and commitment to upholding the values of our community, while maintaining law and order. I want to thank each and every one of them for their service to our community and keeping our residents safe.”
A 2022 audit revealed many of the City’s highest-ranking and highest-paid officers added tens of thousands of additional dollars to their respective salaries by working what are known as “extra-duty details,” such as providing traffic control at construction sites. In order to earn this extra compensation, the Audit revealed troubling schemes such as manipulating schedules while on duty and various other inappropriate practices. Using these methods, officers would frequently receive between $30,000 to over $50,000 in extra duty pay in a single year, resulting in total pay that could exceed $260,000.
One particularly concerning practice was that of “split shifts,” when officers would start their usual shift, then accept a lucrative extra-duty detail during the middle of the workday, then return whenever that detail ended to finish their shift. This would at times allow for officers to be paid twice for the same hours worked. At the same time, the Audit confirmed that police operations declined dramatically. The number of arrests dropped by 85% while overtime costs soared by 115%, despite calls for service remaining stable during this period.
Soon after the Audit was issued the city’s newly hired Police Director Raymond Guidetti instituted reforms to better regulate extra-duty assignments and prohibited a small number of the Police Department’s highest-ranking personnel from working them altogether. In response to the Police Director’s efforts to reform a broken system, the City’s police unions responded with a “no confidence” vote in an attempt to undermine Guidetti’s leadership and several filed copycat lawsuits in an obvious pressure tactic.
In addition to reforming extra-duty detail procedures, Director Guidetti has instituted a number of reforms to correct other problems identified in the Audit, including reinstituting regular command meetings and accountability practices, mandating the use of attendance sheets, and instituting a fair and transparent system for personnel assignments, all of which were acknowledged during Thursday’s re-accreditation presentation. The City also recently adopted a resolution asking the New Jersey Attorney General to formally determine whether it is legal for police officers to be paid twice for the same hours worked, and to confirm that the City has the right to enforce applicable ordinances, policies, and contracts needed to address scheduling abuses at the Hackensack Police Department.
“Since I joined the HPD in mid-2022, I have seen so many in the department make great strides towards becoming the type of Police Department our residents deserve,” added Police Director Ray Guidetti. “Receiving re-accreditation for the second time after the initial accreditation in 2018 is a significant milestone for our police department, as it underscores our ongoing commitment to meeting the highest standards of performance, accountability, and transparency.”
The accreditation process is a rigorous evaluation of a law enforcement agency’s policies, procedures, and practices, designed to ensure that they meet the highest standards for public safety and law enforcement. A police department is evaluated in accordance with 112 standards for the Law Enforcement Accreditation Program, which reflect best practices and address general areas of law enforcement operations, such as leadership, resource management, and service delivery. The HPD first achieved accreditation in 2013.
In addition to demonstrating the department’s commitment to excellence, accreditation provides increased transparency and accountability to the community, improved relations with the public, and better training and professional development opportunities for officers. Research also shows that accredited agencies have 11% fewer police professional liability claims, 18% fewer worker compensation claims and 31% fewer auto liability claims.
