Burrillville Police accredited
BURRILLVILLE — The Burrillville Police Department was officially recognized Wednesday as the latest agency in the state to be accredited by the Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission (RIPAC).
The department's accreditation status was formerly recognized at a ceremony Wednesday at Town Hall.
During the ceremony at the Town Council’s meeting, RIPAC President and retired police Cpt. Christine Crocker and RIPAC Vice President and Middletown Police Chief Anthony M. Pesare presented the award to Burrillville Police Chief Col. Stephen Lynch.
The award signifies that the Burrillville department has upheld the highest standards for its 90 policies on law enforcement best practice and complied with RIPAC’s 200 standards.
“The Burrillville Police Department has voluntarily complied with the required standards set forth by the commission and is hereby awarded this certification of accreditation effective Jan. 13 and recognized as an accredited agency for a term of three years,” the award certificate says.
The accreditation is the result of a series of policy and infrastructure updates within the department reviewed by RIPAC. The RIPAC accreditation standards were formally established in May of 2013 and are comprised of professional policing standards that departments in the state can measure performance against.
The development of an accreditation program for police agencies in Rhode Island is a way of providing the tools necessary for agencies to evaluate and improve their overall performance that is reasonable and cost effective. This in-state accreditation program is a department initiated process by which police departments in Rhode Island voluntarily strive to meet and maintain standards that have been established for the police profession, by the police profession.
“This has not been an easy process. It’s been a grind,” said Lynch. “But what it does is verify what I’ve known since I came to this department and that is just how professional our people are. This certification solidifies that. And it solidifies the fact that we’re operating under accepted practices within Rhode Island law enforcement.”
Lynch credited Lt. John Connors, Sergeants Brian Pitts and Jason Eddy, Retired Major Lareto Guglietta and Town Manager and Public Safety Director Michael C. Wood for their roles in facilitating the accreditation process.
Achieving the RIPAC accreditation was a three year process, during which the Burrillville Police Department re-evaluated and updated many of its policies, procedures, and practices to bring them in line with departments across the state. A team of RIPAC visited the police station in November to examine all aspects of the agency’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services and to verify the department meets the commission’s standards.
RIPAC is a subsidiary of RIPCA and is comprised of law enforcement executives, members of academia, police union representatives, a representative from the long standing police accreditation coalition, and a member of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns.
RIPAC standards are similar to a national assessment model set by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
According to Pesare, the development of an accreditation program for police agencies in Rhode Island is a way of providing the tools necessary for agencies to evaluate and improve their overall performance that is reasonable and cost effective.
“What you’ve done and what this process does for you is that you meet these nationally accepted standards and 12 of Rhode Island’s specific standards,” he said. “You’ve demonstrated that your department is one of the best.”
The Rhode Island Law Enforcement Accreditation Program was formally established through the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association in 2012 as a private non-profit organization and is overseen by RIPAC.
This in-state accreditation program is a department initiated process by which police departments in Rhode Island voluntarily strive to meet and maintain standards that have been established for the police profession, by the police profession.
“The Burrillville Police Department succeeds because of the dedication of its employees. They are welltrained, well-managed and well-respected,” Crocker said.
“What you’ve done and what this process does for you is that you meet these nationally accepted standards... You’ve demonstrated that your department is one of the best.”