Quincy Police Department receives accreditation award

QUINCY — The Quincy Police Department recently announced that it received the Law Enforcement Accreditation Award from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

According to a press release, a plaque was presented to Quincy Police Chief Kieth Siebert and Police Captain Ryan Green during a conference for Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs in Chelan on Nov. 20.

“This was a multi-year process that evaluated 137 standards of law enforcement including management, training, investigation procedures, use of force, code of conduct, and performance evaluations,” stated the press release.

Siebert in the press release that the accreditation can give the citizens the assurance that the department is “performing at the highest level of professionalism.”

The accreditation process is done through peer evaluations. One of the evaluators was Aaron Garza, a police sergeant in Othello.

“This is a peer-to-peer evaluation,” Green said. “Senior police and sheriff’s deputies from other accredited agencies thoroughly quiz our personnel on our standards and processes. Our answers are more authentic because it’s difficult to mislead a fellow officer.”

Five evaluators assessed the department in September, inspecting the facility, files and ensuring proper documentation.

“The Accreditation Program was created in 1976 when WASPC was directed by the State Legislature to develop standards for Washington State Law Enforcement,” stated the press release. “The objective of accreditation is to professionalize law enforcement by providing a review process and certifying that agencies are operating under the industry’s best practices and standards. It also provides recommendations on how agencies can improve. Some of the benefits of accreditation are increasing public confidence in the agency, potentially reducing liability insurance costs, decreasing susceptibility to litigation and costly civil court settlements, and providing a method of self-assessment to enhance administrative and operational effectiveness.”

Siebert said that the evaluators had a couple of recommendations for the department.

“It’s really a team effort among staff and officers and the award is a boost to the agency’s morale,” he said

Rachal Pinkerton may be reached via email at rpinkerton@columbiabasinherald.com.