Mark Murray, City Marshal
4 Green St.
Newburyport, MA 01950
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Newburyport Police Department Earns Full State Re-Accreditation
NEWBURYPORT — City Marshal Mark Murray is pleased to announce that the Newburyport Police Department earned its re-accreditation from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC).
The department received its award at a ceremony on Wednesday, May 3 at the Connors Center in Dover.
“This is a great achievement that reflects the sustained commitment on behalf of all of our officers and staff to live up to the highest possible standards,” Marshal Murray said. “I am especially grateful to Sergeant Greg Whitney, and the rest of our command staff for their dedication in stewarding the department through this process.”
The accreditation process is long and vigorous. It involves both an internal self-review and an external assessment by the commission’s team of experts. The process is a self-initiated 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.
Under the leadership of Marshal Murray, the Newburyport Police Department was assessed April 10-12 by a team of commission-appointed assessors. The Assessment Team found the department to be in compliance with all applicable standards for accreditation.
“Going through the process initially requires intense self-scrutiny, and ultimately provides a quality assurance review of the agency,” Donna Taylor Mooers, the Commission’s Executive Director said in statement.
To conduct the initial self-assessment and prepare for the on-site review of the 246 mandatory standards and 83 optional standards by the Commission, Marshal Murray appointed Sgt. Whitney to serve as the department’s Accreditation Manager, and Lieutenant Rick Siemasko to serve as the Assistant Accreditation Manager.
This is the 4th time the Newburyport Police Department received its accreditation through MPAC. They first earned the accolade in 2005 after initially receiving Certification in 2003.
The MPAC program requires that departments meet all the mandatory standards and percentage of the optional requirements. These carefully selected measures 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.
The commission offers two program awards: certification and accreditation, with accreditation the higher of the two. Accreditation is granted for a period of three years. Participation in the program is strictly voluntary.
###