SWAMPSCOTT — After a 20-year effort, the Swampscott Police Department has earned state accreditation.
Swampscott Police Chief Ronald Madigan said the department was formally awarded accreditation by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission on Wednesday, which is the highest certification a department can achieve from the commission.
“I think it’s an important standard,” Madigan said. “It’s important to ensure that our police department conforms with professional standards. It’s important in terms of correcting deficiencies before they’re a problem.”
Madigan said on Wednesday, one other police department, Marlborough, was accredited, seven departments were reaccredited, four received initial certification and three were recertified.
Swampscott received certification last year, which was a milestone toward full accreditation, Madigan said. Accreditation is an ongoing process, and the department will be up for reaccreditation in three years.
“Built into that status is the understanding that on an ongoing basis, we will be monitoring the way we manage the police department,” Madigan said. “It’s something that distinguishes us in terms of demonstrating that we have a police department that is in good shape in terms of its structure and operation.”
This is the first time the department has received accreditation, a process that started at least 20 years ago, but was put on hold when it became apparent that the old police station was deficient and would not support the accreditation process, according to Madigan.
The town’s new police station helped revive the department’s interest in accreditation, he said. Swampscott Police moved from Burrill Street to their new station on Humphrey Street in 2013.
Madigan said officers who were involved in the accreditation process were Capt. John Alex, who was appointed as the accreditation manager, Lt. Tom Stephens, Lt. Paul Bartram, Lt. Gary Lord, Lt. Joe Kable and Sgt. Tim Cassidy, who worked hard to get this done.
They divided the areas of function within the department and focused on function, reviewed all policies and created policies where they were needed, according to Madigan. He said a lot of the process was documenting that the department adheres to its policies. A good component of accreditation, he said, is to look at the department’s criminal investigation division and make sure the evidence room is properly managed and handled.
Recently, Madigan said, there was a two-day assessment on site where state assessors went through all of the department’s policies and procedures, talked to Swampscott officers, looked at the department’s facility and made sure it was conforming to standards.
There are more than 300 standards the department needs to comply with — a majority of those relate to what would be considered high risk categories of policing, including use of force training, discipline and internal affairs, patrol and traffic operations, criminal investigations, victim/witness assistance, prisoner transport, records and communications, and handling and preserving evidence, according to Madigan.
“They cover every aspect of policing and managing a police department in conformance with professional standards,” Madigan said.
Donna Taylor Mooers, executive director of the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission, said that out of 211 participating agencies, 77 police departments have been accredited since the commission was established in 1996. Twenty departments have received certification and the remaining 114 are in a phase called self-assessment, where they are working toward certification, the first award the commission offers.
Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said accreditation for the police department is something that everyone in Swampscott can be proud of, and is a big deal in terms of police standards.
He said Swampscott is a small department but certainly faces many of the serious issues other communities do, and in receiving accreditation, is being recognized as one of the best police departments around.
“This reflects the high caliber of commitment that our police officers, but also Chief Madigan, really has brought to local policing,” Fitzgerald said. “Swampscott has a really outstanding track record for those professional standards that really define excellence in policing.”