The Nether Providence Township Police Department is an accredited law enforcement agency.  
 

July 21, 2021

It is with great pride to announce that the Nether Providence Township Police Department recently earned the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission’s “Accredited Status” at the 108th annual Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Education and Training Conference on July 20th. The “Accredited Status” is the culmination of more than five years of hard work and dedication on the part of the men and women of the Nether Providence Police Department. With this recognition, the Nether Providence Police Department becomes the 5th police department in Delaware County (42 Departments) and the 133rd police department in the State of Pennsylvania (1117 departments) to be awarded “Accredited Status”.

The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association introduced the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program to the Commonwealth in 2001. Accreditation is a progressive and time-proven way of assisting police departments to evaluate and improve their overall performance by ensuring compliance to the 139 established standards, resulting in best practices for the police agency. Independent assessors evaluate each department policy, then ensure compliance by evaluating reports, records, training, and numerous internal documents. Assessors met with officers, toured department facilities, evaluated equipment, and interviewed the Chief of Police. The accreditation process was truly a team effort. Every officer in the department is responsible for maintaining and adhering to the compliance standards throughout the year. Many officers took part in preparing areas of expertise for the assessors to review and evaluate. It is a credit to each officer and staff member of the department, showing their hard work, professionalism, and commitment to the department.

As an accredited police agency, the Nether Providence Police Department has demonstrated practices that are in line with established standards, assuring the community of the highest quality police services. In doing so, the Police Department has joined a select number of agencies across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that has achieved this standard of professional excellence.

Benefits of Accreditation:
 Establishes 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 viewpoints 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
 Provides reliable methods to improve essential management procedures
 Extends agency accountability to the public and elected officials
 Enhances planning and innovative activities by all agency personnel
 Develops improved methods for providing services to the community
 Encourages problem-solving activities within the agency

When I was appointed as Chief of Police in 2013, I was committed to creating a culture of accountability, and to lead an organization that functions well beyond the status quo. The police department is committed to a standard of excellence through a framework of well-established professional practices. I have full confidence that the department has evolved, and a change of this magnitude will be something we can all be proud of. It is important to recognize that “excellence” is not just defined by us, our industry, or an accreditation body. Excellence for us is also defined by the community that we serve. Accreditation is our first step in that direction.

If you have questions about the Police Department's accreditation, please e-mail me at dsplain@netherprovidence.org or call 610-892-2875 x201.

Respectfully,
David M. Splain
Chief of Police