Upper Southampton Police Receive State Accreditation

The Upper Southampton Police Department took one more step to uphold its motto of “Serving with Integrity and Respect” and making this community "A Nice Place to Live”

On Tuesday, July 11, the USPD was awarded accreditation through the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission of the PA Chiefs of Police Association. 

USPD was recognized along with 26 other departments as a Pennsylvania Accredited Law Enforcement Agency at the PA Chiefs of Police Conference in Harrisburg, PA.  

According to a statement released by the department, this accreditation affects every component of the agency and assures the community is receiving professional police services.

To receive accreditation status the police department is required to meet 132 proven standards across four areas: Organization and Management Roles, Law Enforcement Functions, Staff Support Responsibilities and Pennsylvania Legal Mandates. 

Accreditation is an ongoing process whereby the agency is required to establish policy and procedures against established criteria, and have compliance with that criteria verified by three independent assessors during on site assessments.   

The assessors review training, services, equipment and policies and participate in ride alongs to verify compliance with the acceptable best practices as set forth by the PA Accreditation Commission.

It took approximately two years for the Upper Southampton Police Department to achieve this milestone. The accreditation remains active is for a three-year period and will require re-accreditation in 2015.

Of the 1200 police agencies in Pennsylvania, only six percent have achieved accreditation status. USPD is one of five agencies in Bucks County hold this distinction. 

The police department will be making a presentation and displaying their accreditation plaque at the Upper Southampton Township Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, July 17.