Fifty cities and towns have achieved certification and accreditation of their police departments, and an additional 81 are enrolled in the program.

Accreditation/certification is a self-initiated evaluation process by which police departments strive to meet and maintain standards that have been established for the profession, 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.

Participation in the program:
• Provides a norm for an agency to judge its performance
• Provides a basis to correct deficiencies before they become a public problem
• Requires agencies to commit their policies and procedures to writing
• Promotes accountability among agency personnel
• Provides a means of independent evaluation of agency operations for quality assurance
• Enhances the reputation of the agency and promotes public confidence in the agency

Professional credentialing programs are effective risk management tools that help to prevent and reduce loss in professional liability claims.

The benefits of police certification and accreditation are likely to vary among participating agencies based on the state of the agency when it enters the process. The benefits will be better known when the agency quantifies the “changes” that it made in agency operations as a direct result of participating in the process to comply with program standards. Generally, these changes involve policy writing, minor facility improvements, and in some cases, equipment purchases.

In Massachusetts, accreditation/certification is overseen by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission Inc., a nonprofit corporation governed by an 11-member Board of Directors that is chaired by Andover Police Chief Brian Pattullo. Six members are appointed by the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, two by the Coalition of Accreditation Managers of Massachusetts, one by the Massachusetts Municipal Association, one by the Massachusetts Police Association and one who is affiliated with an academic institution.

The commission’s primary role is to establish and administer both the standards and the assessment process by which all agencies meeting program standards can be publicly recognized for their achievements.

The MPAC is more than a board that rules on accreditation and certifications. The organization provides support to departments while they are in the process of preparing for a review.

MPAC Executive Director Donna Taylor Mooers, a leading expert on accreditation and a former accreditation manager for a large police department, has served as state coordinator since 1996. She has created a network with departments in the state that provides a high level of support to police chiefs and their departmental accreditation managers.

“Police certification and accreditation work to reassure the general public that the law enforcement profession is prepared, trained and ready to handle future emergencies and calls for service,” said Taylor Mooers. “Agency preparedness begins with having a current written directive system that incorporates best business practices into agency policies and operational plans.”

For more information, contact Donna Taylor Mooers at (617) 967-5660 or dtmooers@comcast.net.

John Petrin is the Town Administrator in Burlington and serves as the MMA representative to the MPAC.

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