MARION — Chief John Garcia is pleased to announce that the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC) will conduct an examination of various aspects of the Marion Police Department’s policies and procedures, operations and facilities next month.
Verification by the Assessment Team that the department meets MPAC standards is part of a voluntary process to maintain state accreditation — a self-initiated evaluation process by which police departments strive to meet and uphold standards that have been established for the profession, by the profession. Achieving accreditation is a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.
The MPAC team is scheduled to begin the on-site assessment starting Dec. 1.
Marion Police received State Certification in June 2014 and full State Accreditation in June 2015. Accreditation is up for renewal every three years, and the department was successfully re-accredited in 2018.
“The re-accreditation process is a comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of this department’s standard operations, procedures and more,” Chief Garcia said. “Earning re-accreditation is recognition of the commitment and professionalism displayed by Marion Police officers every day.”
The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program consists of 257 mandatory standards as well as 125 optional standards. In order to achieve accreditation status, the department must meet all applicable mandatory standards as well as 55% of the optional standards.
Anyone interested in learning more about this program is invited to contact Chief Garcia or the department’s Accreditation Manager, Lt. Richard Nighelli at 508-748-1212. Information about the program can also be found on the MPAC website.
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