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Marblehead Police Chief Dennis King and Lt. David Ostrovitz appeared before the Select Board Wednesday night to announce the police department’s successful re-accreditation by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission, placing Marblehead among a select group of the state‘s 351 municipalities meeting the state’s highest professional standards.
One of 112 statewide
The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission voted Sept. 16 to award the department accreditation for another three-year period ending in October 2028. Of 258 police agencies in Massachusetts, only 112 are fully accredited, King told the board.
“Marblehead has 32 sworn officers and nine dispatchers who proudly protect and serve our 4.2 miles of land and 20,000 residents,” King said. “Our community demands the best from the Marblehead Police Department. The rigors of maintaining accreditation have made MPD a professional, innovative and forward-thinking department that values the highest standards in law enforcement.”
According to the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission, accreditation is a self-initiated process by which police agencies voluntarily strive to meet and maintain standards established for the law enforcement profession by the profession. Agencies must commit to meeting professional standards, undergo regularly scheduled assessments by commission-appointed assessors and correct any deficiencies discovered during the assessment process.
The department first achieved full accreditation in 2019 and has now completed its second re-accreditation. This marks the agency’s fourth assessment overall.
Ostrovitz, who serves as accreditation manager, said the process touches virtually every aspect of the department’s operations, from patrol and training to hiring and discipline. Officer Dan Gagnon serves as assistant accreditation manager.
“There are 274 standards that are mandatory,” Ostrovitz said. “There are another 70 that we do that are optional standards.”
The three-day assessment was completed in only two days, with assessors noting the department’s extensive preparation and knowledge of the process as reasons for the efficient assessment.
Since the last accreditation, the department has addressed several key areas. In the wake of police reform, the agency has been tasked with compliance with post standards and training issues, including de-escalation, use of force, handling complaints against officers and responding to mass protests.
Critical incident teams training was completed by all sworn members of the department. The department demonstrated compliance with active incidents and de-escalation training requirements with the cutting-edge training.
With acquisition of a drone, the department was required to comply with accreditation standards. A new policy was created covering training, maintenance and mission documentation. The department also conducted defensive tactics and use of force trainings over three years that fall in line with commission standards and best practices.
“These trainings emphasize tactics that focus on de-escalation, reducing injuries for officers and those we encounter, and an understanding of policies that define the use and application of force,” King wrote in response to questions about the process. “These trainings also reduce liability for the town by lessening complaints against officers.”
Backup generator lone issue
One deficiency identified during the assessment involved the department’s backup generator. The department was already in the process of replacing the decades-old generator and had a temporary generator in place. The department was able to demonstrate that the temporary generator met accreditation standards.
Ostrovitz said the assessment requires contributions from across town government, including payroll, human resources, the fire department and the school department.
“It took a lot of work by everybody in the department, folks outside of the department, and just a great collaboration,” Ostrovitz said. “This just belongs to everybody in town.”
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Board praises professionalism
Select Board Chair Dan Fox praised the department’s achievement.
“We’re incredibly proud of our police department, and you’re dedicated to a way of life, to a standard of professionalism, and that goes above and beyond,” he said.
Select Board member Erin Noonan emphasized the significance of the work.
“You all are rubbing up against people’s basic rights, constitutional rights and the level of professionalism and rigor really is, I can’t think of a more important place for it than law enforcement,” Noonan said. “Some of the stuff that’s behind the scenes, like the compliance stuff and the professional development and the trainings and the grant writing that goes on and bringing extra money in is really such an asset to the community.”
King said accreditation drives the department’s operations and training and puts the agency in a strong position for competitive grants.
“It shows strong governance and organization,” King said. “In competitive grants, it’s often what makes the difference between an award and not getting an award.”
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