This agency is committed to providing law enforcement services that are fair, effective and impartially applied. Officers are held to the highest standards of official conduct and are expected to respect the rights of all citizens. Adherence to these standards, motivated by a moral and professional obligation to perform their job to the best of their ability, is the ultimate objective of this agency. The effectiveness of a law enforcement agency is dependent upon public approval and acceptance of police authority. The department must be responsive to the community by providing formal procedures for the processing of complaints from the public regarding agency and individual employee performance.
Purpose
The purpose of the Professional Standards Division is to oversee and improve the quality of police services. Citizen confidence in the integrity of the police department increases through the establishment of meaningful and effective complaint procedures. This confidence engenders community support for the police department. Improving the relationship between the police and the citizens they serve facilitates cooperation vital to the department’s ability to achieve its goals. An effective disciplinary framework also permits police officials to monitor employee compliance with departmental policies and procedures. Adherence to established policies and procedures assists officers in meeting department objectives while a monitoring system permits managers to identify problem areas requiring increased training or direction. Finally, our policy will ensure fairness and due process protection to citizens and officers alike.
Discipline
The discipline process shall be used to identify and correct unclear or inappropriate agency procedures. In addition, it will highlight organizational conditions that may contribute to any misconduct, such as poor recruitment and selection procedures or inadequate training and supervision of officers.
Compliance
- Random Drug Testing Policy of Police Officers: The University Police Department conducts random drug testing bi-annually for all sworn officers. In addition officers being appointed to police positions, entering a police academy or suspected of drug use are tested on a mandatory basis. This policy requires law enforcement agencies to drug test applicants and implements a random drug testing program for sworn officers in compliance with NJ Attorney General Drug Testing Policy (rev 2001) and NJ Attorney General Guideline 2018-2. However, law enforcement agencies have an independent obligation to undertake the drug testing of individual officers when there is reasonable suspicion to believe that the officer is illegally using drugs at any time. Officers found to using non prescribed or illicit supplements are summarily removed from law enforcement in the state of New Jersey and forfeit employment at Montclair State University.
- Early Warning System Policy for Law Enforcement: The University Police Department believes that all officers that are sworn to maintain the safety of the campus community should act and perform those duties in a manner consistent with good order and acceptable standards. In compliance with NJ Attorney General Standards, the department has adopted an Early Warning System that tracks officer’s use of force, citizen complaints, absenteeism and off duty conduct related to law enforcement capabilities among other criteria. Any officer who meets a certain number of enumerated points can be assigned to an early warning system which is designed to take corrective or remedial action. The Chief of Police or designee must alert the County Prosecutor of any officer within the Early Warning System and make public statistics related to officers that are placed within the system in a 12 month period. In addition, hiring agencies must be made aware of an officer applicant if they have been placed in an Early Warning System while employed as a law enforcement officer. Any statistics related to this policy will be posted below when the situation arises.