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Working With You
Richard Meier Rich started his law enforcement career with the Ridgewood (NJ) Police Department in 1971. Over the years, he worked in the patrol division as a Patrolman, Sergeant, and Lieutenant. While working as a police officer, Rich attended Bergen Community College and obtained his Associates degree in Criminal Justice. He immediately decided to continue his education and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with William Paterson College in New Jersey. Over a span of 25 years with his agency, he worked in numerous capacities, but none quite as important as the law enforcement accreditation™ project. In 1993, Rich was assigned as accreditation manager; this was the beginning of a challenge that would change his department and his life for years to come. Rich is a native New Yorker, born in Manhattan, New York. He has two sisters, Christine, who is married to a police officer and has two daughters. His other sister, Nancy, is married and also has two daughters. After high school Rich entered the U.S. Air Force and trained as a jet mechanic. He was stationed for the majority of his air force years at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, AK. Rich finished his enlistment at Andrews AFB in Maryland. Through a federal program for Viet Nam era veterans, he received his basic law enforcement training at Fort Belvoir, VA. Rich was then offered, and accepted, a law enforcement appointment in Ridgewood, NJ, 15 miles west of New York City. Rich says that he had no idea that law enforcement accreditation™ existed until he was appointed as the accreditation manager of the Ridgewood Police Department. In 1996, his agency was accredited by CALEA. In 1996, Rich took assessor training and became an assessor for CALEA. He has been on six on-site assessment teams for the Commission. He has said that he has worked with some of the best law enforcement professionals in the country. In addition, has visited some of the finest police agencies in the nation. According to Rich, "law enforcement accreditation™ is the greatest thing to police work since the doughnut!" For law enforcement personnel to be accepted as a "professional," accreditation is the ultimate step. Rich retired from the Ridgewood Police Department, but was not quite ready to leave law enforcement. On March 1, 2000, Rich began working as a Program Manager with CALEA. He joins the five existing Program Managers: Dennis Hyater, Steve Mitchell, Ted LeMay, Karen Shepard and Peg Gant. He felt that he still had a lot to offer and with a solid background in law enforcement accreditation™, CALEA was the place to be. As a Program Manager, he is looking forward to working with as many agencies as possible and assisting them toward the goal of receiving and maintaining accredited status. Rich envisions each CALEA conference as an opportunity to meet existing, new, and potential clients. He is determined to provide each with the individual attention that they require. Many law enforcement professionals nationwide know of or have worked with Rich, and already know that he is a believer in the CALEA philosophy of providing "client service." In his spare time, Rich enjoys playing golf at different golf courses for the challenge and to enjoy the scenic beauty. He also likes to travel; his favorite places are Bermuda, Tortola, and Key West. For relaxation, he likes to ride a bicycle and enjoys kayaking on inland waterways. For many years Rich was an avid target shooter and was a member of the Ridgewood Police Pistol Team in Bergen County, New Jersey. Rich has three children. His 20-year-old daughter, Jessica is presently in her sophomore year at Syracuse University. Her field of study is "Visual and Performing Arts." Rich also has two sons living in Georgia, Gary (age 29) and Eric (age 25). Gary is married with two sons and Eric is still expanding his horizons.
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