Burrillville police starts re-accreditation process
BURRILLVILLE — Of the approximately 15,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States and Canada, only 450 – including the Burrillville Police Department – are accredited.
This month, the department is gearing up for the process that will ensure it remains accredited.
The re-accreditation process begins on Feb. 20 when an assessment team from the Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission (RIPAC) visits the department for an on-site review at the station to examine all aspects of the department’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services.
Accreditation serves to distinguish participating police organizations as having met professional standards of conduct and service. Accreditation is for three years, during which the department must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited. Burrillville was awarded its accreditation in 2016 so this will be its first re-accreditation.
The visiting assessment team is comprised of law enforcement practitioners from similar but outof-state agencies. The team will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other places where compliance can be witnessed. Once they complete their review of the agency, they will report back to the full commission, which will then decide if the department is to be granted re-accredited status.
The re-accredited status will be awarded in early spring.
As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments to the assessment team by telephone at (401) 710-9647 on Feb. 20 between 1 and 2 p.m. Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with RIPAC standards. A copy of the RIPAC standards are available for review at the Burrillville Police Department.
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Burrillville Police Department’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are asked to send them to RIPAC Executive Director Christine Crocker, P.O. Box 7877, Cumberland, RI, or by calling (401) 500-2075 or by email to crocker.riapc@cox.net.
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.
The Burrillville Police Department’s achieving the RIPAC accreditation in 2016 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.
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).
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.