Siloam Springs police honored

SILOAM SPRINGS — The Police Department was recognized by the Arkansas Law Enforcement Accreditation Program at the June 20 meeting of the city’s Board of Directors.

The accreditation certificate was presented by retired Chief of Police Gary Sipes, who serves as the program’s director.

The Arkansas Law Enforcement Accreditation Program was developed by the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police, and requires agencies prove they follow nationally recognized best practices in 188 standards related to law enforcement operations and public oversight. The Siloam Springs Police Department is the seventh agency in the state to achieve this accreditation.

In 2015, the department’s command staff decided to pursue program accreditation with the understanding the accreditation would require a complete revision of all department policies, including a complete review of all department practices and training.

Upon acceptance into the accreditation process an agency has two years to meet accreditation standards. The assessment process is comprised of electronic submissions of proofs of training, audits, inspections and policies which are reviewed to ensure the agency meets all program standards and best practices and culminates with a final onsite inspection by an assessment team.

An onsite assessment includes evaluations and inspections of detention operations, communications, inspections of records, policies, training and personnel files, ride outs and interviews of sworn and non-sworn employees.