It is good to be recognized.
That is what the Manchester-by-the-Sea and Essex Police Departments recently experienced, with each earning re-accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC).
The re-accreditation awards were presented during a Feb. 12 ceremony at the Marlborough Country Club.
Serving as their respective department’s re-accreditation manager during the evaluation process were Manchester Sgt. Ryan Machain and Essex Administrative Sgt. Daniel Bruce.
“I am proud that our department has once again been accredited,” Manchester Chief Todd Fitzgerald said. “MPAC accreditation is the gold standard for police best practices and accountability and we are committed to maintaining accreditation as long as I am chief.”
Accreditation lasts three years and both departments will remain accredited until 2028 when they undergo the process again. Each department has been accredited since 2019.
Essex Chief Paul Francis said the recognition is an honor.
“Achieving accreditation is a testament to the professional, dedicated work each member of our department does to hold themselves and each other to the highest standards,” said Francis. “I would like to thank Sgt. Bruce for ensuring the department maintains accreditation status.”
The accreditation is a self-initiated, lengthy and comprehensive evaluation process. Participating departments must complete an internal self-review and an external assessment by MPAC experts.
The evaluation is considered to be the best measure for a police department to compare itself against the best practices in the country and region.
The Massachusetts Police Accreditation program consists of 257 mandatory standards and 125 optional standards. To achieve accreditation status, police departments are required to meet all applicable mandatory standards and 55% of the optional standards.
The standards reflect the areas of police management, operations and technical support activities, such as policy development, emergency response planning, training, communications, property and evidence handling, use of force, vehicular pursuit, detainee transportation and holding facilities.