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On March 30, 2016, the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (PLEAC) voted unanimously to award accreditation status to the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department. The achievement of accreditation was the culmination of a year of intense work by members of the police department and places the department among the 8% of all law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania which have received accreditation through PLEAC. 

The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association introduced the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program in July of 2001. The program was designed and developed by professional law enforcement executives to provide a reasonable and cost effect plan for the professionalization of law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania. There are many benefits associated with accreditation including decreased liability insurance expenditures, reduced agency risk and exposure to lawsuits, improved community relations, and increased agency accountability to the public.

In order to become accredited, an agency must demonstrate that it meets the 132 standards developed by PLEAC. To meet these standards, the agency must present evidence to a team of assessors that the agency has a policy in place to address each standard and that officers are stringently complying with the policy. These standards include important areas such as procedures relating to patrol operations, vehicle pursuits, use of force, detention of prisoners, and property/evidence control.  

In order to retain accreditation status, the department must undergo a reaccreditation assessment every three years. The on-going accreditation process will guarantee that the department continually reviews and revises departmental procedures, thereby ensuring that the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department is in compliance with the national best practices in policing. 

The police department would like to thank the elected officials of Westtown and East Goshen Townships and the citizens of the townships for their support and encouragement during the accreditation process.