For Immediate Release

Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Littleton Police Department Awarded State Certification Status

LITTLETON – Chief Matthew J. King is pleased to announce that the Littleton Police Department achieved State Certification from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC) this month.

The department was recognized for its achievement during an awards ceremony on Sept. 14 at the Connors Center in Dover.

Certification is a self-initiated evaluation process by which police departments strive to meet and maintain the highest standards of law enforcement, and is considered the best measure of a police department against the established best practices around the country and region.

“Achieving certification is a significant accomplishment which acknowledges that the Littleton Police Department is one of the most professional law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts,” Chief King said. “This was a long process involving many hours of hard work and I am so proud of the entire department for getting to this point.”

Chief King would also like to commend Deputy Chief Jeff Patterson, the department’s Accreditation Manager and Sgt. Matthew Pinard, the department’s Assistant Accreditation Manager for their work during this process.

“Deputy Chief Patterson and Sgt. Pinard did a fantastic job managing the entire certification process,” Chief King said. “They both should be very proud of this accomplishment and their efforts that went into helping us achieve it.”

The certification process is long and vigorous. It involves both an internal self-review and an external assessment by the Commission’s team of subject matter experts.

The MPAC program requires that departments meet all of the 257 mandatory standards and 60 percent of the 125 optional ones. These carefully selected standards include: Jurisdiction and Mutual Aid, Collection and Preservation of Evidence, Communications, Working Conditions, Crime Analysis, Community Involvement, Financial Management, Internal Affairs, Juvenile Operations, Patrol Administration, Public Information, Records, Traffic, Training, Drug Enforcement, and Victim/Witness Assistance.

“When Matt King was promoted to Chief of Police two years ago, pursuing accreditation was identified as a top goal for the Littleton Police Department,” said Keith A. Bergman, Littleton Town Administrator. “This certification is an important milestone in that process, and a proud accomplishment for the Town.  Our thanks to the team and to all members of the department.”

Earlier this year, the department was evaluated by a team of Commission-appointed assessors who found the department to be in full compliance with all of the necessary standards required for certification.

Certification has been granted for a period of three years. Participation in the program is strictly voluntary.

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