ACCREDITATION PROGRAM GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR NJ LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | January 2025
Continued from previous page limited to a maximum of $ 1,000 in financial assistance . The matter at issue must relate to the member ’ s official conduct as Chief of
Police . Further , the chief must be a member “ in good standing ,” which is defined in Article III , Section 15 of the NJSACOP Constitution as “ Members are considered to be in Good Standing if their annual dues are paid in full as of the first day of May of the current calendar year and the member shall have attended at least five ( 5 ) Regular Business Meetings of the Association during the preceding twelve ( 12 ) months . Any extenuating circumstances may be appealed to the Executive Board …”
In addition to these internal operating rules governing the provision of legal assistance , the federal Internal Revenue Code states that “ no part of the net earnings ” of a tax-exempt organization ( such as the NJSACOP ) may “ inure to the benefit ” of an individual member . The IRS has made clear that this applies to the payment of a member ’ s legal costs . Some exceptions may be made for a circumstance where the exempt organization can achieve some common good for its members . This is a very fine line to walk , and it is important for a not-for-profit organization to zealously protect its exempt status . Failure to do so can result in substantial fines or even loss of the tax-exempt status .
Of course , this does not mean that the NJSACOP does not get involved in legal matters related to the position of Chief of Police or matters involving individual members . The association itself frequently takes part as a party to court cases , with our General Counsel representing the NJSACOP as a whole . While this is often an expensive option , it helps guarantee that our attorney ’ s experience and expertise is put to use in the matter , and that the interests of the membership as a whole are represented ( thereby avoiding potential issues of personal inurement ). This is the route most often taken in matters involving members that have proceeded to litigation where the issues have broad implications for the membership as a whole and for the office of Chief of Police .
We hope the above helps explain what might otherwise seem to be a somewhat mysterious process and gives our members some insight into what goes into the decisions that the Association needs to make on requests for assistance in legal matters that may arise during the course of a Chief ’ s tenure in office .
ACCREDITATION PROGRAM GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR NJ LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
Our Association has received a significant grant from the US Department of Justice , Office of Community Oriented Policing Services ( COPS Office ), which makes funds available to be used for the support of non-accredited law enforcement agencies in their pursuit of attainment of accreditation through the NJSACOP Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission ( NJSACOP LEAC ). The NJSACOP LEAC has funded multiple awards to eligible law enforcement agents in New Jersey . These awards cover the initial costs of NJSACOP LEAC Accreditation for up to three years . Agencies receiving these grants must agree to assume applicable reaccreditation fees following initial accreditation .
The mission of the NJSACOP LEAC is to promote and enhance the highest ethical and professional standards in law enforcement at all levels throughout New Jersey by providing the opportunities and tools required to agencies and their personnel to successfully attain and retain NJSACOP LEAC accreditation . As our members well know , the accreditation process works to improve agency performance and transparency , while ensuring adherence to accepted best practices and professional standards .
We are proud to say that our NJSACOP accreditation program leads the way in the nation and encourage anyone that leads a New Jersey law enforcement agency that has not yet applied for or attained state accreditation to explore this exceptional opportunity to receive funding for this important program .
Click here to access the Grant Program Brochure & Application , or reach out to NJSACOP Accreditation Program Director Harry Delgado at hdelgado @ njsacop . org .
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