Barnstable Police Achive CALEA Recognition

• Recognition by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies

• Certification by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission

Background
 
Accreditation is a voluntary, self-motivated approach by which organizations seek to achieve, objectively verify, and maintain high quality in their operations through periodic evaluations conducted by an independent body that has established standards for its `clientèle'. As participation in accreditation programs is voluntary, police departments may participate in the programs or not, and may withdraw from the programs at any time without prejudice.

There are both state (Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission, Inc. "MPAC") and national (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies "CALEA") accreditation agencies.
 

What are Standards?

Standards are the requirements that a police department must meet in order to become accredited. The standards cover four basic areas: policy & procedures, administration, operations, and support services.

Both CALEA and MPAC use standards definitions provided in the CALEA Standards Manual. Each agency, however, has different requirements about the standards that must be met to become accredited.
 

What are the Levels of Accreditation?

There are several levels of accreditation. To meet these different levels, police departments must comply with an increasing number of standards:

·   CALEA Recognition                  97 Standards     

·   MPAC Certification                  151 Standards

·   MPAC Accreditation                339 Standards

·   CALEA Accreditation               426 Standards
 

Accreditation Process

The accreditation process consists of several phases. The most important phases are:
 
Self-Assessment
This phase involves a thorough examination of the agency by the agency. Specifically, the Accreditation Manager and staff evaluate current operations against accreditation standards to determine whether the agency is in compliance with each standard. The agency develops a set of accreditation files and begins collecting documentation or "proofs of compliance" for on-site assessors to view.
  
Pre-Assessment
This phase of the process involves two preliminary reviews: one by the agency's peers (a mock assessment), the other by commission staff. Both pre-assessments give the applicant agency an indication of its readiness for an on-site assessment by Commission-appointed assessors.
  
On-Site Assessment
The major facets of the on-site assessment include: assessor selection, introductory meeting between agency staff and the Assessment team, tour of headquarters facility, review of accreditation files, public input session, exit meeting, final report, and repair work (if necessary).
  
Commission Review
Based on the findings and recommendations of the Assessment Team, the state and national commissions will grant or defer accreditation. If all requirements are met, accreditation will be awarded for a three-year period.
  
 
Policy and Accreditation Review Committee 

To oversee the accreditation process, the BPD has created a Policy and Accreditation Review Committee (PARC). This committee contains representatives of all Department divisions, and is responsible for:

• Reviewing and commenting on draft Departmental directives, and
• Advising on accreditation-related matters.

PARC is composed of:

• Deputy Chief Craig Tamash            Field Services Bureau Commander
• Sgt. John Walker                            Administrative Services Division
• Sgt. Andrew McKenna                    Traffic Unit
• Ptl. Ralph Cahoon                           Accreditation Manager
• Det. Valerie Hemmila                      Investigative Services Division
• Ptl Gretchen Allen                           Patrol Division
• Ptl. Jean Challies                            Patrol Division
• Kathleen Hinckley                            Records Unit 
     

Division Responsibilities
 
Each BPD division (Administration, Patrol, Traffic, Investigative Services, Records) is responsible for meeting the standards that fall under its purview. 

The Accreditation Office assists the divisions in accomplishing their tasks; creates, formats or revises all written directives; and compiles the documentation needed to prove compliance with the standards. 
 

Current Status

The Barnstable Police Department was awarded MPAC Certification on April 5, 2007 and CALEA Recognition on July 28, 2007. 

The Department continues towards full accreditation in both the national and state programs, seeking to provide Barnstable with the highest levels of law enforcement professionalism and excellence.

(Information provided by the Barnstable Police Website)