Crime & Safety

Wenham Police to Get Visit as Part of Accreditation Effort

Assessors from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission will visit the Wenham Police Department next month as the department seeks state accreditation.

The Wenham Police Department will get a visit next month by a team of assessors from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission as the department seeks full state accreditation.

The accreditation process - which is purely voluntary - examines various aspects of the Wenham Police Department’s policies and procedures, operations and facilities. The assessment team is scheduled to arrive in Wenham on Wednesday, Aug. 6.

“Accreditation is the highest method of verification that the Wenham Police Department is in line with the best practices of law enforcement in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the country as a whole,” Chief Thomas Perkins said in a written announcement released by John Guilfoil Public Relations. “I am extremely proud that the Wenham Police Department has set its sights high, as we seek to provide the best quality of services to our community.”

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The accreditation process involves striving to meet and maintain standards that have been established for law enforcement, by the profession. Wenham Police Capt. Jeffrey Tobey is the department’s accreditation manager.

Hamilton Police Department earned accreditation in 2012 and was the 48th department in the state to get accredited.

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The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program has 257 mandatory standards and 125 optional standards. To earn accreditation, Wenham police have to meet all applicable mandatory standards plus 60 percent of the optional standards.

These standards cover police management, operations and technical support activities and range from emergency response planning and training to communications and property and evidence handling.

The program also set a standard for the delivery of police services to citizens.

Already, the Wenham Police Department has earned certification from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program. Accreditation is the higher of the two honors from the program. If accreditation is awarded to Wenham police, the accreditation will be reevaluated every three years.


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