State gives high marks to Monroe Police

MONROE - The Monroe Village Police Department recently achieved reaccreditation from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, becoming only the third department in Orange County to achieve this type of state certification. The department first received this state recognition in 2001. Only 18 percent of law enforcement agencies in New York can claim state accreditation with only the departments of Monroe, Woodbury and New Windsor reaching this level of recognition within county. According to Monroe Police Lt. Alex Melchiorre, the benefits of accreditation to the community and the department are: • An independent confirmation that the policies comply with professional standards. • Diminished vulnerability to civil law suits and costly settlements. • Greater administrative and operational effectiveness. • Assurance of fair recruitment, selection and promotion processes. • Enhanced understanding of agency policies and procedures. • Greater public confidence. Participation in the program is voluntary with no charge to the community or local police department for any of the program services or materials. This is the second time in less than a year that the state Division of Criminal Justice Services has weighed in on how Monroe police operate. A study conducted late last year recommended that the department needs five more officers to meet the village’s increasing demand. Service calls have increased from 5,869 in 1994 to more than 12,480 in the 12 months studied by the state last year. Hiring five officers would add about $250,000 to a budget that now totals slightly more than $2.6 million. The department is currently budgeted to have 18 officers: one chief, one lieutenant, three uniformed sergeants and 11 uniformed, full-time officers; two detectives; as well as three part-time and four full-time dispatches, and one secretary. Police staffing was among the issues discussed during this month’s mayoral race. Mayor-elect John Karl III has said he will push for an evaluation of the Police Department from the administration on down to get more officers on the street. To secure the latest accreditation, Melchiorre said, the department prepared a comprehensive standards manual that covers the major aspects of the department’s police work: patrol, traffic, criminal investigations and unusual occurrences, training standards, general management, personnel and relationships with other agencies. All officers are provided with copies of the manual and the department ensures all of the standards are met on a day-to-day basis. The Accreditation Council is then requested to review and scrutinize the standards, which is a three to four day on-site process conducted by a panel of officials representing the seventeen member council. Upon satisfactory completion, accreditation status is granted in recognition that the department has met or exceeded the general expectations of each documented standard. This review process is repeated every five years to maintain accreditation while update of the standards is a continuous, ongoing requirement.