WEST BRIDGEWATER — Chief Victor Flaherty is pleased to share that the West Bridgewater Police Department recently earned accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC).
The accreditation process is lengthy and comprehensive. Participating departments take part in an internal self-review and an external assessment by MPAC experts. The process is a voluntary evaluation by which police departments strive to meet and maintain the top standards of law enforcement. It is considered the best measure for a police department to compare itself against the established best practices around the country and region.
Chief Flaherty and the department’s Accreditation Manager, Lt. Timothy Nixon, were notified of the successful accreditation during a remote MPAC meeting Thursday, June 4. The typical in-person accreditation ceremony was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Achieving state accreditation is a great honor for the West Bridgewater Police,” Lt. Nixon said. “It is the result of the hard work and dedication of our entire department. Earning accreditation is an extensive process for police agencies across the Commonwealth, and we are proud to be recognized for this accomplishment.”
As part of the process the department was assessed during the first week of March by a team of commission-appointed assessors, who found the department to be in compliance with all applicable standards for accreditation.
“Achieving accreditation demonstrates that our department is dedicated to adhering to the best practices of policing and offering the highest quality of service to our community,” Chief Flaherty said. “I applaud each and every member of our department for their commitment, and in particular Lt. Nixon for all the work he put into the process.”
An in-person ceremony honoring newly-accredited police departments will be planned for a future date, which has yet to be determined.
The MPAC program requires that departments meet all 257 of their mandatory standards and 60 percent of the 125 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, Training, Traffic, Drug Enforcement and Victim/Witness Assistance.
The Commission offers two program awards: certification and accreditation, with the latter being the higher of the two.
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