police car As reported by NJ.com, the Hamilton Township Police Department has received accreditation from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.  The Chiefs of Police’s accreditation is a voluntary program in which departments conduct a self-analysis for meeting over 100 standards of operations and best practices.  Trained, independent assessors then review and verify the standards during the accreditation process to ensure successful implementation, a statement on the process said.

“Building upon last year’s record-low level of crime and statistics from the first nine months of this year indicating that crime is even lower today, this prominent accreditation illustrates our police division’s high level of professionalism that has provided our residents with a historic level of public safety,” Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede said in a statement.  “It is with great pride that we can call ourselves an accredited police agency,” Chief James Collins said in the statement.  “This significant professional achievement acknowledges the implementation of policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective and assures the public that we meet the highest standards for professionalism.”

The Township’s statement on the accreditation said some potential benefits that accredited agencies may enjoy include things like possible insurance premium discounts and a decrease in liability, “as it has been cited that frivolous legal actions are shown to decrease with accreditation.”

Yaede touted the Township’s ongoing dropping crime rate as a real translation that the police department’s adherence to having high standards is paying off.  During the first nine months of 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014, Hamilton has had a 10.6 percent decrease in overall crime, the statement said, citing state crime statistics.

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Photo of Donald C. Barbati Donald C. Barbati

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues…

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues litigated before the courts and administrative tribunals throughout the State of New Jersey. In addition, Mr. Barbati also routinely represents individuals in various types of public pension appeals, real estate transactions, and general litigation matters. He is a frequent contributor to the New Jersey Public Safety Officers Law Blog, a free legal publication designed to keep New Jersey public safety officers up-to-date and informed about legal issues pertinent to their profession. During his years of practice, Mr. Barbati has established a reputation for achieving favorable results for his clients in a cost-efficient manner.

Mr. Barbati has also handled numerous novel legal issues while representing New Jersey Public Safety Officers. Most notably, he served as lead counsel for the Appellants in the published case In re Rodriguez, 423 N.J. Super. 440 (App. Div. 2011). In that case, Mr. Barbati successfully argued on behalf of the Appellants, thereby overturning the Attorney General’s denial of counsel to two prison guards in a civil rights suit arising from an inmate assault. In the process, the Court clarified the standard to be utilized by the Attorney General in assessing whether a public employee is entitled to legal representation and mandated that reliance must be placed on up-to-date information.

Prior to becoming a practicing attorney, Mr. Barbati served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Linda R. Feinberg, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer Vicinage. During his clerkship Mr. Barbati handled numerous complex and novel substantive and procedural issues arising from complaints in lieu of prerogative writs, orders to show cause, and motion practice. These include appeals from decisions by planning and zoning boards and local government bodies, bidding challenges under the Local Public Contract Law, Open Public Records Act requests, the taking of private property under the eminent domain statute, and election law disputes. In addition, Mr. Barbati, as a certified mediator, mediated many small claims disputes in the Special Civil Part.

Mr. Barbati received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, magna cum laude, from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Upon graduating, Mr. Barbati attended Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2007, he received his juris doctorate, magna cum laude, graduating in the top five percent of his class. During law school, Mr. Barbati interned for the Honorable Joseph E. Irenas, Senior United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey, assisting on various constitutional, employment, and Third Circuit Court of Appeals litigation, including numerous civil rights, social security, and immigration cases.

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