ESSEX — Chief Paul Francis has announced that a team of assessors from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC) is scheduled to be onsite at the Essex Police Department to conduct re-accreditation assessments.
A team of assessors from MPAC will visit the Department from Oct. 16-18 for a comprehensive examination of the Essex Police Department’s policies and procedures, operations and facilities for re-accreditation.
Verification by the Assessment Team that the Department meets the Commission’s standards is part of a voluntary process to gain state Accreditation — a self-initiated evaluation process by which police departments strive to meet and maintain standards that have been established for the profession, by the profession.
The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program consists of 274 mandatory standards as well as 120 optional standards. In order to achieve accreditation status, the Department must meet all applicable mandatory standards and 55 percent of the optional standards.
The Essex Police Department has been an accredited Department since 2019. Accredited police departments are required to undergo assessment for re-accreditation every three years.
Achieving Accreditation is a highly prized recognition of a law enforcement agency’s professional excellence.
Anyone interested in learning more about this program is invited to call Chief Francis at 978-768-6628, extension 5001, or the Department’s Accreditation Manager, Administrative Sergeant Daniel Bruce at 978-768-6628, extension 5004.
