Burlington Police Seeking Re-Accreditation

BURLINGTON, MA — Burlington Police Department is seeking re-accreditation with a state police accreditation commission, they said Thursday. Accreditation is a voluntary process which saves the town on insurance and, according to police officials, improves police operations. The department will prepare over the next two months for a visit from a team of assessors from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission starting Jan. 14.

Burlington police have been accredited since 2011. According to Deputy Chief Thomas Browne, who leads the accreditation process, while getting the recognition was initially challenging, at this point it has streamlined the department's operations. Still, the assessment is no cakewalk, he said.

"It's a lot of work to show the compliance. We're doing it all the time, but getting it into the books to show to the assessors is time-consuming," Browne said.

Browne has been with the department since before 2011 and said there's a clear difference.

"It's definitely more professional, that's the best way i can put it. We've streamlined our operations. Everyone's going into the same direction," Browne said. "We ingrain this into our new officers as soon as they get out of the academy."

The accreditation program has 257 mandatory standards and 125 optional standards, according to the department. Departments must meet all mandatory standards and 60 percent of optional ones to get accredited.

Christopher Huffaker: 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.