Matthew J. King, Chief of Police
500 Great Road,
Littleton, MA 01460
For Immediate Release
Friday, Oct. 13, 2017
Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Littleton Police Department Achieves Full State Accreditation
Department in Compliance with Nationwide and Statewide Best Practices for Law Enforcement
LITTLETON — Chief Matthew J. King is pleased to announce that the Littleton Police Department has earned full accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC).
The department was recognized for its achievement during an awards ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 12, at the Connors Center in Dover.
“The Littleton Police Department is committed to providing the highest possible quality of policing to our community and this recognition is a testament to that,” Chief King said. “I am proud of our entire department for making this achievement a possibility and for being recognized as one of the top law enforcement agencies in the Commonwealth.”
Accreditation is a self-initiated evaluation process by which police departments strive to meet and maintain the highest standards of law enforcement, and is considered the best measure of a police department against the established best practices around the country and region. The process is long and vigorous and involves both an internal self-review and an external assessment by an MPAC team of experts.
The Littleton Police Department was previously awarded “certification” status by MPAC last year. Under the leadership of Chief King, the 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 King appointed Deputy Chief Jeffrey Patterson to serve as the department’s Accreditation Manager and Sgt. Matthew Pinard to serve as the Assistant Accreditation Manager.
“This process requires countless hours of extra work and dedication, and I would like to single-out Deputy Chief Patterson and Sgt. Pinard for their tireless efforts in making accreditation a reality for the Littleton Police Department,” Chief King said.
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, after which the department must be re-assessed and re-accredited. Participation in the program is strictly voluntary.
###