PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Police Department was reaccredited by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, Chief Terry Gallagher announced Friday.
The accreditation program is intended to professionalize the law enforcement industry by providing a review process for agencies to be certified as operating under industry best practices and standards.
“The accreditation review process is a tremendous benefit to a police agency and ultimately to the community served by that agency,” Gallagher said.
“A department is forced to take a critical look at itself and to allow other professionals to do the same,” he added.
“An accredited agency knows that it employs best practices and that belief is based on evidence, rather than anecdotes.”
Accreditation is good for three years. The next assessment for the Port Angeles Police Department will be in 2015.
Only 49 of the 211 law enforcement agencies in the state are accredited by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.
One such accredited agency is the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, which earned the distinction in November 2009.
Port Angeles police recognized the Sheriff’s Office for assistance in preparing for the accreditation review, Gallagher said.
The Port Angeles Police Department was first accredited in 1991 and reaccredited in 2002.
