Chief Joseph Perkins is pleased to announce that the Middleborough Police Department has earned accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.
The years-long, self-initiated process includes rigorous independent review and evaluation by MPAC of the department’s compliance with 257 mandatory standards and 125 optional standards. To achieve accreditation status, the department must meet all applicable mandatory standards as well as 55 percent of the optional standards.
An assessment team from MPAC visited the department in February of 2022, reviewing management, operations, technical support activities, policies, emergency response planning, training, communications, facilities, equipment, evidence handling, use of force, vehicular pursuit policies, prisoner transportation and holding facilities among other topics.
Following a two-day, on-site assessment, Middleborough Police were awarded accreditation on Feb. 28.
The accreditation process is aimed at providing accountability among agency personnel and ensuring policies are applied evenhandedly; providing a statewide norm against which agencies can judge their performance; providing a basis to correct deficiencies before they become public problems; providing independent evaluation of agency operations; enhancing the reputation of an agency, increasing public confidence; and minimizing insurance costs and agency liability.
Accreditation also ensures the Middleborough Police Department is prepared to meet the demands of POST legislation and the requirements it created as part of the state’s police reform law, as well as the public’s expectation that the department be transparent.
Prior to being awarded accreditation, the Middleborough Police Department was awarded State Certification from MPAC on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
“Upon receiving State Certification, the Middleborough Police Department wanted to further our commitment to ensuring that the best, modern-day policing practices are in place within our department through pursuing accreditation status,” Chief Perkins said. “I’m very pleased to announce that after the year-long process, Middleborough Police has once again affirmed that the department operates at a professional and exemplary level of police service. On behalf of the department, I thank all who were involved in the process and the MPAC assessment team.”
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