Christopher Delmonte, Chief of Police
220 Pleasant St.
Bridgewater, MA 01930
For Immediate Release
Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Bridgewater Police Department Awarded Full State Accreditation Status
BRIDGEWATER — Chief Christopher Delmonte is pleased to announce that the Bridgewater Police Department has achieved full State Accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC).
The department received its award at a ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at the Connors Center in Dover.
“As a department, we are honored to have achieved this level of recognition,” Chief Delmonte said. “I commend all the Bridgewater officers and staff who dedicated time and energy to this accreditation process in addition to their daily tasks, particularly our Accreditation Manager Lt. Thomas Schlatz and Asst. Accreditation Manager Sgt. Thomas LaGrasta.”
Accreditation is a long and vigorous self-initiated evaluation process by which police departments strive to meet and maintain the highest standards of law enforcement practice. It is considered the best measure of a police department against the established best practices around the country and region, and involves both an internal self-review and an external assessment by the commission’s team of experts.
Under the leadership of Chief Delmonte, the Bridgewater Police Department was assessed earlier this year by a team of commission-appointed assessors. The Assessment Team found the department to be in compliance with all applicable standards for accreditation.
To conduct the initial self-assessment and prepare for the on-site review of the 246 mandatory standards and 83 optional standards by the Commission, Chief Delmonte appointed Lt. Thomas Schlatz to serve as the department’s Accreditation Manager, and Sgt. Thomas LaGrasta to serve as the Assistant Accreditation Manager.
The MPAC program requires that departments meet all the mandatory standards and percentage of the optional requirements. These carefully selected measures include: Jurisdiction and Mutual Aid, Collection and Preservation of Evidence, Communications, Working Conditions, Crime Analysis, Community Involvement, Financial Management, Internal Affairs, Juvenile Operations, Patrol Administration, Public Information, Records, Traffic, Training, Drug Enforcement and Victim/Witness Assistance.
The commission offers two program awards: certification and accreditation, with accreditation the higher of the two. Accreditation is granted for a period of three years. Participation in the program is strictly voluntary.
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