Accreditation

The Lititz Borough Police Department has been Accredited since February 2, 2008.

In January of 2023, the LBPD was awarded "Premier Accredited Status," the top-tier level of law enforcement Accreditation in Pennsylvania. Approximately 2% of law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania have achieved Premier Accredited Status.

Accreditation provides assurances to Lititz Borough residents, elected officials, municipal staff and our officers that the agency has committed itself to adopting policies, procedures and systems that align with professional best-practices and legal mandates. The agency must show proof of compliance to these policies and procedures to a team of independent third-party assessors who assess the agency once every three years. The assessors evaluate every level and every corner of the agency to ensure we are in full compliance, and will make a recommendation to the Accreditation Commission based on the agency's adherence to established standards.

There are currently 125 standards, 245 bullets (or sub-standards), or 370 best-practices that Accredited agencies must adopt policy and procedure around, then show proof of compliance. The Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation program is voluntary and is administered by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. According to PLEAC, "The premier agency status program sets forth guidelines outlining a recognition program to identify the top echelon of agencies in Pennsylvania that have remained committed to state Accreditation. The premier agency status recognizes those agencies that have attained certain longevity in Accreditation, remained committed to a philosophy of excellence, and helps encourage them to sustain this level of commitment." 

Accreditation affects every component of the LBPD and assures the community is receiving professional police services.  PLEAC standards address four main areas, which are: 

1. Organization and Management Roles

2. Law Enforcement Functions

3. Staff Support Responsibilities

4. Pennsylvania Legal Mandates

Generally, Accreditation provides an agency with:

  • Establishing a credible framework for evaluating agency practices and procedures.
  • Reduces agency risk and exposure to lawsuits.
  • Decreases some liability insurance expenditures.
  • Improves law enforcement-community relations.
  • Increases employee input, interaction and confidence in the agency.
  • Enlarges the outlook and viewpoint of managers, officers and employees.
  • Identifies and highlights the capabilities and competence of the agency.
  • Furnishes a solid foundation for the agency to build upon for further progress.
  • Provide reliable methods to improve essential management procedures.
  • Extends agency accountability to the public and elected officials.
  • Develops improved methods for providing services to the community.
  • Encourages problem-solving activities within the agency.

To learn more about Accreditation, click here!