The Town of Wallkill Police Department was recently recognized by a standard-setting state agency for meeting its comprehensive guideposts for law enforcement agencies.
The accreditation was the first state-level recognition ever sought and received by the police department and attested to the years-long efforts by the agency to reclaim its professionalism, according to Police Chief Robert Hertman.
“Our department has continued to grow and become more professional year over year while being responsive to the needs of the community,” Mr. Hertman, who was hired more than 20 years ago to shake up the police agency after it came under federal oversight for several wrongdoings, told The Epoch Times.
“And the accreditation was just the natural next step.”
In the spring of 2022, Wallkill police started the accreditation effort with the support of Town Supervisor George Serrano. This process lasted nearly 20 months and culminated in a three-day on-site audit last December.
To receive the accreditation, an agency must meet more than 100 standards in the three core areas of administration, training, and operation set by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Program participation is voluntary; each earned accreditation is good for five years.
“It is not just the police department; it is a team effort,” Mr. Hertman said of the accreditation process, noting how the public works department helped revamp the record storage room.
“We now have an orderly system that categorizes every single case report, and anybody can come in and find any record at any time for any police activity that we have taken.”
Aside from physical copy retention as required by the state, the department also maintains and looks to upgrade a digital system for reports and documents, he said.
According to Mr. Hertman, the department redrafted policies and procedures based on state standards and distributed working copies to the town board, other law enforcement agencies, and individual police officers for feedback and buy-in.
They cover bodyworn cameras, use of force, crisis intervention, fleet maintenance, and more.
When it comes to compliance with policies in the real world, auditors look for records and documentation as proof, which circles back to the importance of organized record-keeping.
For example, after the agency responded to a large demonstration in town, it had to prepare a report to document what the issue was and how the police handled it, Mr. Hertman said.
“Memorializing what you do and organization—that seems to be the key with the accreditation.”
As part of the accreditation effort, the police department hired a new full-time clerk to handle record organization at the beginning of the year.
“It is a great accomplishment, and you have to give a lot of credit to Chief Hertman for bringing the department to this step,” Mr. Serrano told The Epoch Times.
Community Relationship
Parallel to the years-long efforts to make a more professional police force is the endeavor to restore public trust in the agency, according to Mr. Hertman.Under his helm, three new organizations were formed: a police community council to promote communications between the community and the department, a police youth coalition to improve relationships with young people, and a junior police academy for a similar purpose.
National Night Out, an annual campaign that builds relations between the police and the community, has been consistently observed and has grown into one of the largest events in town, Mr. Hertman said.
“It took time to rebuild that relationship, and we did,” he said.
In 2024, Mr. Hertman looks forward to several new initiatives by the police department, including a new shelter for stray animals, new drone technology for policing activities, and more public cameras in the commercial district to combat retail theft.
