Police accreditation is a voluntary process by which police agencies utilize all best practices in the profession and to exceed the highest standards of accountability and excellence.
Agencies participating in the process must undergo an on-site assessment and review conducted by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.
The first milestone in the process is achieving Certification.
After this has been achieved and within the next 12 months, agencies are then required to complete 257 mandatory standards as well as a percentage of 125 optional standards in order to achieve full Accreditation.
The Swansea Police Department was first awarded Certification on March 6, 2008 and full Accreditation on January 28, 2010 (31st overall in the state).
The third Award was 1st Re-Accreditation on May 2, 2013 (44th overall in the State). The fourth Award was the 2nd Re-Accreditation on May 5, 2016. The fifth Award was the 3rd Re-Accreditation
All Accredited agencies must undergo a two-day on-site reassessment every three years to maintain their Accreditation status.
As of August 19th, 2021, there are 227 Massachusetts police departments participating in the MPAC program, with 98 being fully accredited.
For more information about the accreditation process, contact Swansea Police Department’s Accreditation Manager, Lieutenant Patrick Mooney, or visit the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission website: www.masspoliceaccred.net.
