Atlantic County prosecutor’s office wins state law‑enforcement reaccreditation

Atlantic County Prosecutor William E. Reynolds told the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that his office voluntarily completed a reaccreditation review under the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police Law Enforcement Accreditation Program and has been recognized by the assessors.

Reynolds introduced his team — including Assistant Prosecutor Eric Bergman, Chief of Detectives Pat Snyder, Lt. Jim Kershner and community outreach director Rich Cornett — and described the process as an internal review of policies, personnel and evidence-management practices. "We did it voluntarily because if you're gonna hold others accountable, including the police departments, you have to start at home," Reynolds said, describing the review as an opportunity to identify shortcomings and improve internal controls.

Harry Delgado, director of accreditation for the state chiefs' association, presented the assessment team's findings and placed the county's achievement in state context. He said fewer than 12% of agencies previously had secondary accreditation and that Atlantic County's reaccreditation helped bring the figure to "less than 8%" of agencies statewide, calling accreditation "a significant professional achievement." Delgado described the visitation process, the review of proofs of compliance, and the forwarding of an assessor's report and recommendation to the association.

Reynolds described several concrete changes undertaken during the accreditation work, including establishment of a promotion process and organization-level reviews (described as a "360 review") intended to increase accountability and managerial oversight. He credited staff members involved in evidence and policy reviews and said the process included an evidence audit and executive-level peer reviews that had not been performed previously under prior administrations.

Commissioners thanked the prosecutor and his team and posed no votes or formal actions tied to the presentation. A photo opportunity followed the remarks.

The presentation did not include new budget requests or a specific timeline for additional policy changes; Delgado and Reynolds described the accreditation as voluntary and as a measure of conformance with state and national standards. The board did not take further action on this item at the meeting; the presentation served as a public recognition of the office's reaccreditation.