PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Police Department has earned a state award and accreditation for professional confidence and standards.
The department received the Law Enforcement Agency Award on Nov. 18 — an accreditation earned by Washington state police departments by meeting 130 exacting standards.
Among those 130 standards is for all staff and officers to be current in all training, and for the department to track any and all “use of force” on both a monthly and annual basis, said Deputy Chief Brian Smith, who oversaw the department’s efforts to earn the honor.
Five departments, including Port Angeles, received their awards during the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police Conference at Lake Chelan.
A plaque showing the department’s achievement is on display in the lobby of the police department at Port Angeles City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
Only 48 of the 260 law enforcement agencies in Washington state have earned the four-year accreditation, according to the association.
Four accreditations
The department was first accredited in 1991, then again in 2003 and 2011, said Smith.
Accreditation by the association shows that a department is following “best practices and standards” as set by the association, and by each department’s own policies.
The first two accreditations were allowed to lapse after their four years were ended, Smith said.
“It’s actually more work [than initial accreditation],” Smith said.
It is harder to renew, due to having to show that the department had met the standards for the entire four years between accreditations, including keeping up with changes between the examinations by visiting examiners, he said.
Smith said each standard might have five or 10 elements, each of which must be met separately, with record keeping checks and an on-site assessment and evaluation by outside agencies.
“It helps you fill in your gaps,” he said.
Sheriff’s office helps
Members of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office assisted the police department in achieving re-accreditation, including Undersheriff Ron Cameron, and retired Undersheriff Ron Peregrin and Lorraine Shore, administrative secretary.
The Sheriff’s Office was accredited in 2009 and 2013, and is preparing to begin another accreditation cycle, Smith said.
Both Port Angeles and sheriff’s officials are working with Port Townsend and Sequim police departments to help them earn it as well, he said.
Smith said that Detective Sgt. Tyler Peninger, records specialist Carla Jacobi, and two Peninsula College interns, Preston McFarlen and Patra Wanandi, were also part of the team.
Accreditation decreases liability and is intended to increase public confidence in the accredited agencies.
The insurance agency that covers the police department refunds $1,000 to police departments that complete the accreditation, Smith said.
It doesn’t cover the entire cost of the many hours put in by staff and officers to qualify for certification, but it helps, he said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
