(Photo/Laura Hayes)
NORTHBOROUGH – The Northborough Police Department has been reaccredited by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC).
The commission reaccredited the department for the seventh time on Feb. 7. The Northborough Police Department was first accredited in 2003 and must renew it every three years.
“Earning full reaccreditation is a great achievement for the department, and I’m proud of everyone who helped us to secure this status,” said Chief Brian Griffin. “This accomplishment shows that the Northborough Police Department is dedicated to meeting the highest standards of law enforcement in the state.”
According to a press release from the department, accreditation is self-initiated, and the departments that participate must complete an internal self-review and external assessment by MPAC experts. Accreditation is considered the best measure for a department to compare itself against the established best practices around the region and country, the release said.
The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program consists of 257 mandatory and 125 optional standards. The standards cover areas like jurisdiction and mutual aid, collection and preservation of evidence, communications, working conditions, crime analysis, community involvement, financial management, internal affairs, juvenile operations, patrol administration, public information, records, training, traffic, drug enforcement and victim/witness assistance.
To be accredited, the department has to meet all of the applicable mandatory standards and 60% of the optional standards
The Northborough Department was assessed in September, the assessment team found it was in compliance with all of the applicable standards for reaccreditation.
