The West Shore Regional Police Department is currently exploring the process of becoming accredited by the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission.

The Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission consists of a commission appointed by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, after nomination by the four Regional Chiefs of Police Associations. Personnel from the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association provide support services to the Commission and The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency serve as coordinating and funding agency for Commission activities.

Accreditation is the ongoing process whereby agencies evaluate policy and procedure against established criteria and have compliance with that criteria verified by an independent and authoritative body. The criteria, or standards, are policy development guidelines that represent a level of quality service delivery. The true indication of compliance, however, lies with an evaluation of trained, independent professional peers. The establishment of meaningful and professional standards and an evaluation of compliance to those standards are, therefore, the two fundamentals of an accreditation program.

Some benefits of accreditation for our agency:

• Established a credible framework for evaluating agency practices and procedures.
• Reduces agency risk and exposure to lawsuits.
• Decreases some liability insurance expenditures.
• Improves law enforcement-community relations.
• Increases employee input, interaction and confidence in the agency.
• Enlarges the outlook and viewpoints of managers, officers and employees.
• Identifies and highlights the capabilities and competence of the agency.
• Furnishes a solid foundation for the agency to build upon for further progress.
• Provides reliable methods to improve essential management procedures.
• Extends agency accountability to the public and elected officials.
• Enhances planning and innovation activities by all agency personnel.
• Develops improved methods for providing services to the community.
• Encourages problem-solving activities within the agency.

For more information on Pennsylvania Accreditation go to the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police website.