In an effort to provide the residents and visitors of Elizabethtown Borough with nothing but the highest quality law enforcement services, the Elizabethtown Borough Police Department became an accredited law enforcement agency through the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (PLEAC) on June 2, 2023.
The Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (PLEAC) was established by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association (PCPA) as part of the Accreditation Program introduced to the Commonwealth in July 2001. 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. The Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program was designed and developed by professional law enforcement executives to provide a plan for the professionalization of law enforcement agencies within the Commonwealth. PLEAC Accreditation requires the Elizabethtown Borough Police Department to provide annual proofs of meeting 125 proven standards or a total of 270 'best practices' that address four vital areas: ‘Standards for Organization & Management Role’, ‘Standards for Law Enforcement Functions’, 'Standards for Staff Support Responsibilities' and 'Pennsylvania Legal Mandates'.
The accreditation period is for a term of (3) three years, where the Elizabethtown Borough Police Department will undergo an extensive mock and onsite reassessment by independent assessors to ensure full compliance with the established standards and requirements. The assessment team evaluates every aspect of the Elizabethtown Borough Police Department to include but not limited to its policies, procedures, training, facilities, equipment as well as conducts ride-alongs with officers of the department. The assessment team will then provide their findings to the Accreditation Commission and make a recommendation for renewal consideration.
To date, the Elizabethtown Borough Police Department is one of only 160 law enforcement agencies in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to have achieved accredited status. The residents and elected officials of Elizabethtown Borough can take great pride in knowing that their police department represents only the very best in Pennsylvania law enforcement.
Some of the many benefits of achieving accreditation include:
- Establishes a credible framework for evaluating agency practices and procedures.
- Reduces agency risk and exposure to lawsuits.
- Decreases some liability insurance expenditures.
- Improves law enforcement-community relations.
- Increases employee input, interaction and confidence in the agency.
- Enlarges the outlook and viewpoints of managers, officers and employees.
- Identifies and highlights the capabilities and competence of the agency.
- Furnishes a solid foundation for the agency to build upon for further progress.
- Provides reliable methods to improve essential management procedures.
- Extends agency accountability to the public and elected officials.
- Enhances planning and innovative activities by all agency personnel.
- Develops improved methods for providing services to the community.
- Encourages problem-solving activities within the agency.
The Elizabethtown Borough Police Department PLEAC Accreditation Team consists of the following Police and Administrative Staff:
- Lieutenant Jesse Schlotzhauer
- Corporal Joseph Grego
- Officer Gregory Riehl
- Executive Assistant Jill Risser
For more information on PLEAC Accreditation, please click here.