What is Accreditation?
The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association introduced the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program to the Commonwealth in July 2001. Since then, over 375 agencies have enrolled, and 193 agencies currently maintain accredited status.
Accreditation is a progressive and time-proven way of helping institutions evaluate and improve their overall performance. The cornerstone of this strategy lies in the promulgation of standards containing a clear statement of professional objectives. Participating administrators then conduct a thorough analysis to determine how existing operations can be adapted to meet these objectives. When the procedures are in place, a team of independent professionals is assigned to verify that all applicable standards have been successfully implemented. The process culminates with a decision by an authoritative body that the institution is worthy of accreditation.
The Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program was designed and developed by professional law enforcement executives to provide a reasonable and cost-effective plan for the professionalization of law enforcement agencies within the Commonwealth. The underlying philosophy of the program is to have a user-friendly undertaking for the departments that will result in a “success” oriented outcome.
Worthy of Accreditation:
Newtown Township Police Department is one of those departments and has been an accredited law enforcement agency since May 30, 2013. This recognition is something that the entire police department holds in high regard due to the amount of dedication and teamwork that is involved in keeping this standard of professionalism. Every three years, an assessment takes place as required by the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission to ensure that the department is achieving and demonstrating the highest acknowledged standards.
Our most recent accreditation assessment took place in May of 2025, and our department was re-accredited for the fourth time. The Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission unanimously voted to reaccredit the Newtown Township Police Department, and documented that our work in this program demonstrated the type of leadership that law enforcement in Pennsylvania should strive for. Chief Hearn is proud of every sworn officer and the professional support staff for their dedication and professionalism in maintaining the best standards in law enforcement as an accredited police department.
The Benefits?
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