Danvers Police Department Receives National Accreditation

Danvers Police Capt. Patrick Ambrose (second from left), Lt./Accreditation Manager James Lovell (middle), and Chief Neil Ouellette (second from right) receive the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Re-Accreditation Award from CALEA officials. Pictured are Executive Director W. Craig Hartley Jr. (Left) and Commission Chairman J. Grayson Robinson (right). Photo courtesy of the Danvers Police Department.

Danvers Police Chief Neil F. Ouellette recently announced that the Danvers Police Department has been awarded national accreditation for the 28th consecutive year.

“The real credit for this accomplishment goes to the men and women of the Department,” Chief Ouellette said. “They are the best walking and talking proof of compliance to CALEA’s standards, by what they do on a daily basis to serve the citizens of our community, and how they do it. I am extremely proud to oversee a Police Department that is in-line with the best practices of law enforcement in the country.”

Danvers was the first and is the longest standing police department in Massachusetts to achieve such high levels of national law enforcement standards.

Chief Ouellette, Capt. Patrick Ambrose and Lt. James Lovell accepted the Meritorious Law Enforcement Accreditation awarded at the conference of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., on Saturday, Nov. 22, in Albuquerque.

This is the ninth consecutive time that the Danvers Police Department received the law enforcement accreditation, which is awarded every thee years.

The Danvers Police Department was the first municipal agency in Massachusetts, when it was accredited in November of 1986. Currently Danvers is one of three municipal agencies in Massachusetts with national accreditation, along with the MBTA Transit Police Department and the Boston University Police Department. Fall River and Newton are the other two municipal agencies.

Police accreditation is a 100 percent voluntary undertaking. By going through the process, a police department invites an independent outside review to ensure the department has the most up to date policies, procedures, and training. This ensures that a department uses the best practices for law enforcement to deliver exceptional services to its residents, businesses, and visitors.

Nationally accredited agencies must maintain compliance with CALEA’s 317 mandatory policing standards and at least 80 optional standards for a medium sized agency (determined by the number of sworn officers). The Danvers Police Department was deemed to be in compliance with all 317 mandatory and 88 of the optional standards.

“By continuing to raise the bar, the Danvers Police Department stands out as a model of excellence in Massachusetts and nationwide,” said Diane Norris, Danvers interim Town Manager. “I applaud the efforts of our police department and Chief Ouellette to ensure the highest level of service to the people of Danvers each and every day.”

The department is also Accredited by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Coalition (MPAC) and will be going through MPAC re-assessment in the coming months. Both processes require assessments every three years to maintain compliance. As an added benefit of accreditation, The Town of Danvers is able to receive a premium discount from the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, which is the town’s liability insurance carrier.