Warrington Twp Police Dept Receives Accreditation from PLEAC

Warrington Township has announced that its Police Department has been awarded accreditation from the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (PLEAC). The accreditation process is specific to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and involves establishing a framework for evaluating agency practices and procedures; improving law enforcement and community relations; and encouraging problem-solving activities within the agency.

Chief Daniel Friel remarked, “Achieving accreditation is a testimony to the hard work of the entire department over the last 15+ months. Special credit goes to our command staff, including Lt. Meditz, who was the policy and training coordinator, and Lt. Gottenberg, who trained all of the Sergeants and reviewed every criminal case file to ensure that our officers were meeting the necessary standards.” Chief Friel continued, “This is a proud and special time for our police department and we want the community to know that our department meets the highest standards for policing in Pennsylvania and we are committed to maintaining them.”

There are more than 1100 police departments in Pennsylvania, of which more than 375 are enrolled in the accreditation process. Warrington Township Police Department became the 129th police department in the Commonwealth to achieve accreditation and the 16th out of 39 in Bucks County.

“Township officials, members of the police department and I met with PLEAC assessors who indicated that they were very impressed with the police culture here and how everyone works together,” said Fred Gaines, Chairman, Warrington Township Board of Supervisors. “The assessors also commended the Township for having the forethought to design the new police building with accreditation in mind.”

In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to qualify for PLEAC accreditation. 139 state standards must be met and followed and each accredited police department must also show proof that all standards are being followed. In addition, each year when new standards are issued, they must be adopted and the accredited police departments must show proof that the standards have been put in place. Although the Warrington Township Police Department was already meeting many of the accreditation standards, some policies needed to be updated. In addition, Warrington Township Police Department changed its documentation process in order to show proof of compliance to the standards set by PLEAC.

Mark Lomax, a member of the Township Board of Supervisors and Board Liaison to the Police Department commented, “We are extremely proud of our Police Department and all that they do not only to uphold the highest standards of law enforcement, but to maintain great relationships with the residents and businesses in our community. We are also grateful to our K9 team. K9’s Murphy and Jolie have to pass their own certifications each year, Murphy in Patrol and Narcotics and Jolie in Patrol and Explosives.”

About Warrington Township

Warrington Township is located in central Bucks County, approximately 20 miles north of central Philadelphia. The Township encompasses 13.5 square miles, bordered on the north by New Britain, Warwick, and Doylestown Townships, on the east by Warminster Township, and on the south and west by Montgomery and Horsham Townships.

Warrington Township is an outstanding community in which to live, work, shop, learn, and recreate with many unique opportunities to enhance the quality of life for those who reside, work, or visit. The goal of the township is to responsibly manage community change and protect community character and assets; preserve the natural environment and farmland; improve mobility; provide adequate township services and public facilities efficiently and equitably; and promote the economic and social well-being of the community. The township is committed to protecting the township, improving the quality of life, sustaining its neighborhoods, and serving the health, safety and welfare of its residents and businesses. For more information, visit http://www.warringtontownship.org.

About Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (PLEAC)

The Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program was developed by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association and introduced in July 2001. Since then, close to 400 agencies have enrolled and 129 agencies achieved and maintain accredited status. Accreditation is a progressive and proven way to help police departments evaluate and improve performance. To learn more, go to: https://pcpa.memberclicks.net/accreditation-home.