The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association introduced the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program to the Commonwealth in July 2001.  Since then, over 300 agencies have enrolled and approximately 115  agencies have attained 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 Annville Township Police Department received accreditation from the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission in December of 2014 and was the first Department accredited in Lebanon County.

Western Lebanon County Regional Police Department received accreditation in April 2025.

Some of the benefits of accreditation for our police agency:

•Established 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 innovation activities by all agency personnel.

•Develops improved methods for providing services to the community.

•Encourages problem-solving activities within the agency.