The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association introduced the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program to the Commonwealth in July 2001.  Since then, over 260 agencies have enrolled and 54 agencies currently have attained accredited status.

Accreditation is a progressive and time-proven way of helping institutions evaluate and improve their overall performance. The cornerstone of this strategy lies in the promulgation of standards containing a clear statement of professional objectives. Participating administrators then conduct a thorough analysis to determine how existing operations can be adapted to meet these objectives. When the procedures are in place, a team of independent professionals is assigned to verify that all applicable standards have been successfully implemented. The process culminates with a decision by an authoritative body that the institution is worthy of accreditation.

The Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program was designed and developed by professional law enforcement executives to provide a reasonable and cost effective plan for the professionalization of law enforcement agencies within the Commonwealth. The underlying philosophy of the program is to have a user-friendly undertaking for the departments that will result in a “success” oriented outcome.

Your law enforcement peers want the program to be consistent and achievable for all types and sizes of law enforcement agencies within Pennsylvania. That perspective has been used in the development of the program and in its implementation. Whether your agency has 10 personnel, 100 members, or a cadre of 1000, you and your department can successfully undertake and complete the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

Of course there will be complex work involved, but that is true of any professional project that is worth accomplishing. However, the Commission members, the accreditation staff, and the accreditation coalition support groups in various parts of the state are in place to assist you and your personnel with the process leading to accredited status and Commission recognition and certification.

It is the goal of the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program to be affordable, Pennsylvania-specific, and user-friendly. We will continue to endeavor to accomplish those purposes for the law enforcement agencies of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Feel free to contact Andrea Sullivan or Richard Hammon with any questions you may have.