Lower Pottsgrove Police Dept. earns re-accreditation
The Lower Pottsgrove Police Department recently achieved re-accreditation for adhering to 133 different standards.
The department was accredited by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police — Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission in March of 2014 and was required to apply for re-accreditation after three years. To be accredited, the agency must adhere to 133 different standards including evidence management, use of force, biased based policing policy, vetting of new officers, internal affairs processes and several others, according to Lower Pottsgrove Police Chief Michael Foltz.
Lower Pottsgrove is one of about 110 law enforcement agencies out of 1,100 across the state that have achieved accreditation through the committee. Accreditation was given to the department during a commission meeting in Harrisburg.
Foltz and Sgt. Scott Weidenhammer, the department’s accreditation manager, were in attendance at the meeting, along with Pennsylvania State Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
“Sgt. Weidenhammer is to be commended for his diligence in managing this program for our agency,” said Foltz. “His knowledge of and commitment to this program is remarkable. All of our members and staff play a significant role in supporting the accreditation process. The process makes us a more professional agency and I am proud of their accomplishments.”
The Lower Pottsgrove Police Department is now accredited through March 2020.