EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ’ S REPORT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ’ S REPORT
MITCHELL C . SKLAR
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | November 2023
NJSACOP Continues Pioneering Work Creating New Partnerships
There is no denying the vital importance of partnerships , collaboration , and cooperative learning among law enforcement agencies and professionals – on a local , regional , national , and international basis . In recent years the NJSACOP has been at the forefront of creating and strengthening links with partners around the country and with policing institutions , forces , and professionals in like-minded nations . In light of the contemporary threats facing all police agencies , such connections and exchange of information and learning is more than just a “ nice to have ”; it is in fact a “ need to have .”
While the past decade has seen a tremendous growth in these connections , the NJSACOP has a long history of reaching out beyond our borders to share and learn , as well as raise the profile of the Association , our members , and policing within New Jersey as a whole . As far back as 1931 Newark Police Chief James McRell represented the NJSACOP at the Association of Chiefs of Police of Europe conference held in Paris . Upon his return to New Jersey , Chief McRell reported to the NJSACOP membership on the “ good and instructive program ” conducted by the European Chiefs . The exchange of information was not just in one direction . As part of his mission in attending the conference , Chief McRell shared the unique “ uniform hand signals ” manual created by and published by the NJSACOP , which he reported had put the NJSACOP “ on the map .”
Today , the NJSACOP is without doubt “ on the map ,” enjoying a reputation as one of the nation ’ s premier law enforcement professional associations . This is due , in part , to the important partnerships the Association has forged with international partners , including the College of Policing [ Great Britain ], the Scottish Police College , Greater Manchester Police [ UK ], Police Service of Northern Ireland , Garda Síochána [ Ireland ], and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police . We have also been the great beneficiaries of assistance from the London Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police . Closer to home , the NJSACOP and law enforcement agencies in Delaware and Pennsylvania have forged an exceptional working partnership to bring the NJSACOP Command & Leadership Academy to police professionals throughout the region .
As usual , the NJSACOP is not content to sit still ; we have adopted as a governing philosophy the maxim “ If you are not moving forward , you are falling behind .”
While such partnerships ( as well as our annual Senior Leaders Seminars conducted in conjunction with our partners ) have indeed put the NJSACOP and police leadership in New Jersey “ on the map ,” they of course serve a much larger and more important purpose : creating the best possible police leaders and police agencies for our communities and all of the people that we serve .
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Back in 1924 the NJSACOP had appointed a special committee to “ adopt a standard of traffic signals , turning , where Officers are stationed and the speeding up of heavy traffic .” A copy of this fist-of-its-kind manual is appended to the end of this article .
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