Department Accreditation

We are an accredited agency.

In January of 2019, after years of solid work by the entire department, we were able to obtain State Accreditation. We first achieved State Certification in 2018, but did not want to stop there!

Accreditation is a self-initiated evaluation process by which police departments strive to meet and to maintain standards that have been established for the profession and by the profession. These carefully selected standards reflect critical areas of police management, operations, and technical support activities. They cover areas such as policy development, emergency response planning, training, communications, property and evidence handling, use of force, vehicular pursuit, prisoner transportation and holding facilities.

The program not only sets standards for the law enforcement profession, but also for the delivery of police services to citizens of Manchester by-the-Sea and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Achieving accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission is a very significant accomplishment and a recognition highly regarded by the law enforcement
community. Achieving this coveted milestone was only the beginning. We continue to strive to live up to these standards every day, and must be re-accredited by the Commission every three years. Sergeant Ryan Machain is the department’s accreditation manager.

What are the standards?

Standards for national accreditation as established by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) provide the framework for standards in the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program. Our department currently meets all 257 mandatory standards for accreditation, plus some extra optional standards.

Below are some of the topical areas covered:

• Agency Authority, Jurisdiction and Use of Force
• Recruitment, Selection, and Promotion of Personnel
• Training, Discipline and Internal Affairs
• Patrol, Traffic Operations and Criminal Investigations
• Victim/Witness Assistance
• Emergency Response Planning
• Prisoner Transportation and Holding Facilities
• Records and Communications
• Collection and Preservation of Evidence
• Property and Evidence Control

What are the benefits of accreditation?

The standards for accreditation impact both officer and public safety, address high liability/risk management issues, and generally promote operational efficiency throughout the agency. The benefits are therefore many and will vary among participating departments based on the state of the department when it enters the process. In other words, the benefits will be better known when the department quantifies the changes that it has made as a direct result of achieving accreditation. Generally, these changes involve policy writing, facility improvements and equipment purchases. Listed below are some of the more common benefits:

• Provides a norm for an agency to judge its performance.
• Provides a basis to correct deficiencies before they become public problems.
• Requires agencies to commit policies and procedures to writing.
• Promotes accountability among agency personnel and the evenhanded application of
  policies.
• Provides a means of independent evaluation of agency operations.
• Minimizes an agency’s exposure to liability, builds a stronger defense against lawsuits, and
  has reduced liability insurance costs.
• Enhances the reputation of the agency and increases the public’s confidence in it.

Visit the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.