NORTH READING — The North Reading Police Department has earned reaccreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC) for the fifth consecutive time.
The North Reading Police Department was first accredited by MPAC in 2011, and was reaccredited in 2014, 2017, 2020, and once again on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
“The men and women of the North Reading Police Department should be proud to work for a department that has maintained full accreditation, the highest standard for law enforcement in Massachusetts, for well over a decade now,” said Chief Murphy. “We promise to provide our North Reading community with the best and most professional policing possible, and maintaining full accreditation has helped us hold our organization to the highest of standards.”
Accreditation is a self-initiated, lengthy and comprehensive evaluation process. Participating departments complete an internal self-review and an external assessment by MPAC experts. The process is a voluntary evaluation by which police departments strive to meet and maintain the top standards of law enforcement. It is considered the best measure for a police department to compare itself against the established best practices around the country and region.
The North Reading Police Department’s reaccreditation efforts were led by Sgt. Derek Howe, Officer James Carcia and Det. Michael Marra, who helped to guide the department through a rigorous review process.
The department was assessed from Oct. 4, 2022 to Oct. 6, 2022 by a team of commission-appointed assessors. The Assessment Team found the department to be in compliance with all applicable standards for re-accreditation.
The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program consists of 257 mandatory standards as well as 125 optional standards. In order to achieve accreditation status, the department was required to meet all applicable mandatory standards as well as 60% of the optional standards.
These carefully selected standards reflect critical areas of police management, operations and technical support activities. They cover areas such as 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, Training, Traffic, Drug Enforcement and Victim/Witness Assistance.
Accreditation must be renewed every three years and, following this year’s renewal, the North Reading Police Department will be up for reaccreditation again in 2025.
To learn more about MPAC, visit: https://masspoliceaccred.net/.
From left, Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission President Chief Russ Stevens, of the Hamilton Police Department, North Reading Police Detective Michael Marra, Lt. Mark Zimmerman, Sgt. Derek Howe and MPAC Vice President Chief Chris Delmonte, of the Bridgewater Police Department, stand with a plaque denoting the North Reading Police Department’s reaccreditation. This is the fifth consecutive time North Reading Police have earned accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission. (Courtesy North Reading Police)
