LITTLETON — Chief Matthew J. Pinard and the Littleton Police Department announce that the Littleton Police Department’s re-accreditation assessment will take place later this month.
A team of assessors from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC) is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, July 21 to begin examining the Littleton Police Department’s policies and procedures, operations and facilities.
This assessment is part of a voluntary process to gain state re-accreditation. It is a self-initiated evaluation process in which police departments strive to meet and maintain standards that have been established forthe profession.
The accreditation process is lengthy and comprehensive. Participating departments complete 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.
“Achieving re-accreditation is a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence,” Chief Pinard said. “MPAC sets high standards for police departments throughout the state to adhere to. The Littleton Police Department fully understands the importance of meeting such standards as we work to ensure the safety of all citizens in the Littleton community.”
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.
Anyone interested in learning more about this program can call Chief Matthew Pinard or the Department’s Accreditation Manager Deputy Chief Jeff Patterson at 978-540-2300.
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