South Whitehall Township Police Chief John Christman and Capt. Jason Negron have announced the department has received accreditation from the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission.

PLEAC’s evaluation of the South Whitehall Township Police Department included a thorough review of the physical facility and an examination of proofs of compliance with 132 standards.

“PLEAC interviewed our officers and staff and conducted a review of organizational documents, including records, reports and certifications,” Chief Christman said.

The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association introduced the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program to the commonwealth in July 2001.

Since then, more than 300 agencies have enrolled and 111 agencies currently 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.

“We are extremely pleased to have achieved this designation,” Christman said. “Accreditation is a rigorous process, but one that we welcome as a continual quality improvement mechanism.

“Earning PLEAC’s accreditation is another measure of our excellence as a premier law enforcement agency in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”