The Penn Township Police Department obtained Initial Accreditation on July 9, 2005. We are proud to announce we are the FIRST police agency in Westmoreland County to obtain accreditation, and we are one of only six agencies west of Harrisburg to receive accreditation from the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission.

What is Accreditation?

The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association introduced the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program to the Commonwealth in July 2001.  Since then, over 270 agencies have enrolled and 64 agencies currently have attained accredited status.

Accreditation is a progressive and time-proven way of helping institutions evaluate and improve their overall performance. The cornerstone of this strategy lies in the promulgation of standards containing a clear statement of professional objectives. When the procedures are in place, a team of independent professionals are assigned to verify that all applicable standards have been successfully implemented.

Three Phases

Phase One ... Application

The police department and local government officials make the joint decision to pursue police accreditation. Together, you notify the accreditation staff at the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association via a Letter of Intent. 

Phase Two ... Self-Assessment 

The Accreditation Manager will begin the process internally by performing a self-assessment of the agency. The Accreditation Manager will compare how the current policies comply with the program’s 131 standards.

Phase Three ... Formal Assessment

The final phase of the accreditation process is the Commission assessment. Trained assessors will do an on-site, two day review of agency files ensuring compliance with all standards. Your accredited status will remain valid for a three year period.

Membership Benefits

Some of the benefits that accredited law enforcement agencies receive as a result of their participation in an accreditation process include:
Stronger, more credible defenses against lawsuits and citizen complaints.
Significant insurance premium discounts.
An improvement in the department’s moral.
Evidence of a firm commitment to a professional law enforcement agency.
Improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of the police department’s operations.