The township police department is seeking state accreditation for the first time in its history.
Township Committeeman Ernest McGill, liaison to public safety, announced the move at a meeting in July. The department got a $5,000 grant from the federal COPS (Office of Community Oriented Policing Services) program, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice.
“(The grant) will cover the cost of the application,” McGill said, adding that the department will work with an outside corporation to help reach accreditation.
William Obuchowski became Cinnaminson’s seventh police chief in 2024. He and his father, retired township chief John Obuchowski, made history when they became the first father and son combination in New Jersey to serve as chiefs of the same department.
An accreditation status will mark another milestone for the force.
“Our department has always been one of the most trained and educated in the state of New Jersey, and I will make sure that tradition is carried on,” Obuchowski said in his message to the community. “It is part of our culture. Also, part of our culture is the acceptance, inclusion, respect and understanding that we give to everyone.”
Accreditation – which is for three years – is a step in the department’s mission to “to establish and maintain positive relationships with community stakeholders while providing quality public safety services …”
Accreditation is a progressive and time-proven method of assisting law-enforcement agencies to calculate and improve their overall performance, according to the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP). It involves the adoption of standards that contain a clear statement of professional objectives.
Participating agencies conduct a thorough self-analysis to determine how existing operations can be adapted to meet those standards and objectives. When the procedures are in place, a team of trained, independent assessors verifies the standards have been successfully implemented.
Accredited status represents a significant professional achievement, by acknowledging implementation of policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective.
The NJSACOP has pursued the concept and development of a voluntary statewide law-enforcement accreditation program for New Jersey resulting in formation of the organization’s Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission. That body consists of commissioners with the overall responsibility to adopt program standards and review assessment reports to grant accredited status.
McGill said the department will keep the township updated on the accreditation process as it begins.
