MBTA Transit Police Department was Awarded
“Re-Accreditation” Status
On March 22, 2014, the MBTA Transit Police
Department received its 3rd re-accreditation award from the Commission
on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). The
Department was originally awarded accreditation status in 2005.
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| MBTA Transit PD Chief Paul MacMillan (right center) 2014 CALEA Awards |
Accreditation is a self-initiated evaluation process
by which police departments strive to meet and maintain standards that have
been established for the profession, by the profession. These carefully
selected standards reflect critical areas of police management, operations, and
technical support activities. They cover areas such as policy development,
emergency response planning, training, communications, property and evidence
handling, use of force, vehicular pursuit, prisoner transportation and holding
facilities. The program not only sets standards for the law enforcement
profession, but also for the delivery of police services to citizens.
Under
the leadership of Chief Paul S. MacMillan, the MBTA Transit Police Department
was assessed in October, 2013 by a team of assessors. The Assessment Team found the Department to
be in compliance with all applicable standards for Accreditation. To conduct the initial self-assessment and
prepare for the on-site review of the accreditation standards by CALEA, Chief MacMillan
appointed Officer Roberta Spinosa to serve as the Department’s Accreditation
Manager.
BENEFITS OF ACCREDITATION
The standards for accreditation impact officer and
public safety, address high liability/risk management issues, and generally promote
operational efficiency throughout the agency.
The benefits are therefore many and will vary among participating
departments based on the state of the
department when it enters the process.
In other words, the benefits will be better known when the department
quantifies the changes that it made as a direct result of achieving accreditation. Generally, these changes involve policy
writing, facility improvements, and equipment purchases. Listed below are some
of the more common benefits.
Accreditation:
· provides a norm for an agency to judge its performance.
· provides a basis to correct deficiencies before they become public problems.
· requires agencies to commit policies and procedures to writing.
· promotes accountability among agency personnel and the evenhanded application of policies.
· provides a means of independent evaluation of agency operations.
· minimizes an agency’s exposure to liability, builds a stronger defense against lawsuits, and has the potential to reduce liability insurance costs.
· enhances the reputation of the agency and increases the public’s confidence in it.
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